Gravenstein school board chooses Jennifer Schwinn as new superintendent

The Gravenstein Union School District announced Tuesday it has selected a new superintendent.

Jennifer Schwinn will be replacing Superintendent Linda LaMarre, who’s retiring in June after 15 years at the helm. Board members last week voted unanimously to award Schwinn a two-year contract. Schwinn has served for eight years as superintendent and principal of the Monte Rio school district, which has about 100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade on its one campus off Foothill Drive.

As the new superintendent at Gravenstein, Schwinn will be in charge of four schools, including two charters, and more than 700 students. She was one of 21 people from in and out of the state to apply for the position, Gravenstein school board president Jim Horn said.

“In the end, Jennifer stood out as a hard worker with outstanding management skills, a strong belief in high academic achievement combined with music and the creative arts instruction, and an obvious love of students,” he said in a statement.

Schwinn, a founder of the French-American Charter School in Santa Rosa, was instrumental in improving test scores in Monte Rio, Horn said. Before joining the Monte Rio district, Schwinn spent a decade as an elementary and middle school teacher in Santa Cruz and Sonoma.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in French and English literature and a multi-subject teaching credential from UC Santa Cruz. She also holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Sonoma State University.