Los Gatos Weekly-Times Top Job: Mary Ann Park Mary Ann Park accepts the top job with school district By Michelle Alaimo The Los Gatos Union School District board appointed Mary Ann Park as the new superintendent effective Oct. 15. She has been serving as acting superintendent since Sept. 9, when Bert Pearlman announced he would be leaving the district to be near his family in Southern California when his contract is up in June. The board voted Park in at an Oct. 14 meeting, with the three board members present voting unanimously. Board president Thomas O'Donnell and board member Dorothy Rouse were not present for the vote because they were out of town. However, board member Steve Glickman said discussions with Park began last month with the full board present, and all members agreed they wanted Park to be the next superintendent. Park signed a two-year contract with a base salary of $98,500 in closed session at the meeting. She said negotiations have been ongoing with the entire board in previous closed sessions. Glickman said the board had decided last month not to automatically name Park as superintendent when Pearlman announced his plans. "We felt the appropriate thing to do was to give the community, if they wished, time to comment," Glickman said. He adds that all the teachers and parents that spoke to the board about Park spoke "glowingly and were uniformly positive and supportive." Before O'Donnell left for Europe, he said, "I see the board heading for perhaps smoother sailing ... if Mary Ann Park were superintendent." Park, who has several goals for the district, said, "I'm very pleased and excited because who wouldn't want to be the superintendent of the Los Gatos Union School District?" She said the district is always looking to improve student performance, and would like to also improve curriculum and instruction. Park said she wants to have greater collaboration with parents and for the district to be a contributing member to the community. Pearlman, who is remaining with the district until the end of June as a superintendent on special assignment, now reports to Park. He continues to receive his superintendent salary of a little more than $100,000 a year. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 21, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.