SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara Unified School District's Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Kerri Mills will be leaving her position with the district in September.
On Monday night the Mount Diablo Unified School District's (MDUSD) board of education approved a three-year contract, hiring Dr. Mills as the district's interim assistant superintendent of special education and pupil services until the end of June. Then, in years two and three, following a satisfactory evaluation, "interim" will be removed from her title.
Dr. Mills' new responsibilities will include serving as MDUSD's SELPA director. MDUSD is a single-district SELPA.
Mt. Diablo Unified School District serves more than 36,000 students in 56 schools.
A long time resident of Northern California, Dr. Mills joined the Santa Barbara Unified School District in October 2009. Her new position will have the added benefit of a commute of less than 50 miles.
Dr. Mills said, "It was an honor to be recruited for the Mt. Diablo position. While I look forward to serving in a district that is closer to home, on a personal level it will be difficult to leave the students, staff, and parents I have worked with for the last three years in Santa Barbara. Together, we worked hard to turn the department around. I am immensely proud of the efforts we made to strengthen our department and services for special education students by successfully tackling a host of recommendations in the FCMAT [Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team] Implementation Plan." She continued, "It has been such an honor to work with a dedicated and talented team of educators and support staff in the Special Education Department. Each day, I watch them give their heart and soul to the students we serve. The person who fills my position will be very fortunate to have these professionals on their team."
Superintendent Cash said, "Our district will be sad to see Kerri leave. During her time with our district she worked tirelessly on the needs of our special education students. Implementation of the FCMAT report's recommendations was no small feat. She is to be commended for leading a project that required nothing less than a Herculean team effort."
The Santa Barbara Unified School District will immediately begin the process of filling the position.
