Weiss, a 1973 graduate of Saratoga High School, has been appointed superintendent of the Saratoga Union School District. Come summer, he will replace Superintendent Mary Gardner, who is retiring.

Weiss' parents, grandmother and sister still live in the area, and he plans to move to Saratoga with his wife and four daughters from their home near Sacramento. "I want to live in the community," Weiss said. "This has always been home. I've visited and grown with the changes."

Weiss, 47, is also excited to come back to Saratoga because of the access to musical and cultural institutions, such as Montalvo and places in San Francisco. Weiss, who plays the saxophone, piano and guitar, said, "I love jazz, and whenever I perform down here people have a real appreciation for the music."

The appointment was announced April 22, the day that Weiss signed his contract. Weiss currently serves as the founding principal of a charter school in Stockton but spent more than two decades working in the public school system in the Bay Area, Oregon and Lodi—transitioning from an instructional assistant to a music teacher to assistant superintendent.

"The Saratoga school district has a fantastic reputation throughout the state," Weiss said. Weiss said he is especially attracted to the district's "slogan of engaging hearts and minds, the notion of educating the whole child."

"All three of the top candidates were competent and qualified to do the job, although we agreed that Lane was the best fit," said John Waite, president of the Saratoga Union board of trustees. "We believe that he is going to be a terrific choice for us."

"Saratoga is going to be thrilled with his leadership and his vision and his energy," said Catherine Pennington, assistant superintendent for elementary education at the Lodi Unified School District. Pennington, who worked with Weiss for 20 years, said, "It's just a great match."

Weiss's professional background has prepared him well for the job. Working for the K­8 River Oaks Charter School, "I started one school from scratch," Weiss said. "You get involved in every aspect of education," from facilities to testing to communication.

Similar to Saratoga, the charter school is ethnically diverse—"I had to translate notices and everything into at least five languages," Weiss said. And Weiss said he has noticed the same parental support and "passion for kids in the community" in both areas.

Before working at the charter school, Weiss was the assistant superintendent of secondary education for the Lodi Unified School District. There he managed curriculum and instruction for middle and high school students and focused on the district's use of technology.

The technology emphasis on Weiss's résumé is "helpful," said Cindy Ruby, Saratoga Union School District board member. "He's been involved in a lot of cutting-edge educational programs. We respected the fact that he knows a lot about the current best practices and development."

"Lane is hugely technologically literate," which is extremely beneficial in a community like Saratoga, said Randy Malandro, Weiss' former colleague. With Weiss' connections, "he'll be able to make some inroads and utilization of technology," said Malandro, curriculum coordinator for instructional technology and science in the Lodi district.

Malandro added, however, "No matter what position he was in, he always fell back to the classroom. There never was an air of 'position.' " According to Malandro, Weiss the administrator still spent time with students and regularly visited classes—often with a saxophone in his hand.

Weiss' performing arts experience—an aspect that others said was another positive in his try at the superintendency—blossomed when his family moved to Saratoga in 1971.

Weiss recalls "trading licks" on the sax with next-door neighbor Dave Griffith, who then invited him to join Saratoga High School's Jazz Band.

"What really caught fire for me was playing in the jazz band at Saratoga High," Weiss said. The jazz band led to Weiss learning guitar and piano, then joining a band that played a gig at Wildwood Park in 1974, and now doing solo shows on occasion. Weiss also composes children's music and DJs at weddings, social events and school fundraisers.

"The top priority is my family and my new job with the school district," Weiss said, but he plans to continue playing music as a third priority. "I have to engage my heart and mind, too," Weiss said, adding, "dancing and loud music is a fun thing."

In fact, it was through music that he met his wife, Teri, a second-grade teacher for the Lodi district. Weiss, as the music teacher, went to her classroom to work with her students—"and the rest, as the say, is history," Weiss said. The two have been married for almost 15 years and have four daughters, ages 13, 12, 8 and 2.

Music "allows us to celebrate who we are," Weiss said. His love for jazz has trickled into other areas of his life; Weiss said the combination of structure and creativity, as well as innovation, can be applied to organizational development.

"It's a great approach to problem-solving as well," Weiss said, since playing jazz is "all about solving problems—'Here's the chord, here's this rhythm—how do I make it fit?' "

"He's a very well-rounded individual," Ruby said.

In addition to his professional experience, Weiss helped district parents start Lodi's Kids Can't Wait Foundation, which parallels the Saratoga Education Foundation.

"We're excited about carrying on what [Superintendent] Mary Gardner started" with the foundation, Waite said. "Her collaborative leadership has been appreciated, and Lane is experienced with it."

"He has the idea that it's a partnership" between the schools and parents and community, Ruby said.

"He makes everyone feel valued," Malandro added. At Lodi, Weiss was approachable to the public and always considered all opinions and all facts before making a decision. And, Malandro said, Weiss found a way to make work fun, which was "infectious to his coworkers—Lane is always very upbeat, very positive."

Saratoga Superintendent Mary Gardner, who met Weiss for the first time on April 22, is similarly impressed. "I think he brings a lot of talent and energy and interest and connections," she said.

Although public education comes naturally to Weiss—both his parents are retired administrators in local school districts and one of his sisters is a teacher—he faces some tough challenges ahead.

The greatest is the budget crisis. "We want to maintain the high quality of education in the craziness of what's going on in the state," Weiss said.

Weiss also hopes to make sure that the transition from Gardner as superintendent to himself will be seamless, especially since he will be working with a new principal at Redwood Middle School.

"We will work together for a transition, just to make it as smooth as possible," Gardner said. "And as we select other administrators, he will be involved in that."

The district is including Weiss in all communication, and he plans on commuting to Saratoga at least once a week for important meetings and school events and the May 9 Saratoga Education Foundation Major Donor Reception.

"My strategy is to listen and to learn and to become sensitive to where the district is and where it has been," Weiss said.

Weiss said, however, that he is preparing to open up a second school in the charter system and must manage his time wisely. "I'm trying to be sensitive to the job I'm leaving," he said.

He also hopes to do some house-hunting with his wife, which they began the week he was awarded the job.