Willow Glen Resident

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New superintendent has an innovative style

By Alicia Upano

Cambrian School District's new superintendent may have big shoes to fill, but Tom Dase is up for the challenge.

He was attracted to the job, he says, because of the small, supportive community that helps the district succeed. He also gives a nod to his predecessor for organizing the district so well.

"It always a challenge when you come into any district as high-performing as Cambrian," Dase says. "We have to build on the legacy of the past, and continue the momentum."

Dase, who started in September 2006, has replaced 14-year superintendent Barry Groves, who took over the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District on July 1, 2006.

Groves was known for innovation and fiscal responsibility during his tenure, and Dase comes to the district with the same attributes.

Most recently, Dase was superintendent of the Pleasant Valley School District in Ventura County.

During his tenure in that district, he enhanced the technology programs in an effort to improve learning and communication between teachers and parents. The district had a technology magnet school, and a laptop program.

"I definitely think we have to be risk-takers and actually engage in the 21st century," Dase says. "The way children interact with information and technology is much different than when I was a child."

While working in the Culver City Unified School District, Dase helped bring a comprehensive art curriculum and better health services into the district through grant funding and collaboration with businesses. He helped establish a professional development program in Fontana, and was one of Redondo Beach's first principals to translate materials into Spanish, as part of a larger effort to involve and educate the entire community.

Becoming a superintendent

Dase, whose father was in the U.S. Navy, grew up in port towns along the Pacific seaboard, including San Diego, Long Beach and Everett, Wash. He took an instant liking to school and books, and can recall reading cowboy tales on his parents' porch when he was 7 years old.

Yet as a sophomore at California State University, Long Beach, Dase says he was still "stumbling around for a major." A co-worker in the college library frequently spoke about his ambition to become a teacher.

"The more he talked about it, the more attractive it became," Dase says.

The profession, he says, fit well with his academic interests.

Dase graduated with a bachelor's degree in geography, but he set his sights on teaching. After his 1972 graduation, he began teaching third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in the Downey Unified School District in Southern California. He taught for 13 years, until his principal encouraged him to become an administrator.

He began his career as an administrator in the Redondo Beach Unified School District, then became the director of curriculum for Fontana Unified School District, and assistant superintendent of educational services for Culver City Unified School District.

Along the way he received a master's degree in school administration from California State University, Fullerton, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California in educational policy, planning and administration, with an emphasis on school finance. In 2004, his academic and professional experiences led him to become superintendent for the Pleasant Valley School District.

While Dase was wrapping up the 2005-06 school year in Pleasant Valley, the Cambrian governing board was searching for a new superintendent. The board had hired Leadership Associates to help the district find a replacement for Groves.

On June 8, dozens of Cambrian community members came forward to describe their ideal superintendent. Board member Sue Pine says staff, management, teachers, parents, coaches, San Jose City Council members, and Santa Clara County schools superintendent Colleen Wilcox shared their ideas with the search firm. These ideas became the basis for who would be hired.

The community wanted its next superintendent to be a visionary thinker and strong leader, but with an approachable personality for the small, tight-knit district, Pyne says. It also wanted someone who was financially savvy. The school has had stable finances and enrollment, partly due to the passage of a parcel tax, bond measure and conversion of four of its schools to dependent charters.

"We are in good shape financially, and wanted someone who would keep us there," Pyne says.

Dase fit the bill. Pyne says Dase demonstrated strength in assessing the culture and climate of a school district, and then building on its needs.

Although it's too early for Dase to make a mark in Cambrian, Pyne says he's already demonstrated a thoughtful and analytical approach to the job, and frequently sends her articles on new classroom techniques and demographic trends.

"I definitely see Dr. Dase as an innovative thinker," Pyne says. "I expect him to keep us on the cutting edge."

Meanwhile, Dase is settling into his Los Gatos home. His wife, Mary Ann, is finishing up her contract at Pepperdine University, where she teaches information science. The couple has a daughter, Carolyn, who works for Intel in Arizona.

As in his early years, Dase is still an avid reader, from science fiction novels to nonfiction pieces on technology and leadership. His favorite book is James and the Giant Peach, which he read repeatedly to his students during the beginning of his career.

"I love teaching," he says. "Yet I think there's a part of me that does welcome change."