PD Endorsement Sonoma County school superintendent: Choosing a new leader for county schools

For the first time in 20 years, voters are choosing a new Sonoma County school superintendent. After such a long hiatus, some voters may be surprised to learn this is an elected position.

But few public services are as vital as educating children, and the county superintendent has myriad duties, ranging from fiscal oversight of Sonoma County’s 40 school districts to providing administrative and recruiting assistance for small districts to managing special education and career technical education programs.

It usually is a behind the scenes job, but that changed overnight when COVID-19 closed schools in 2020. Superintendent Steven D. Herrington became the public face of local schools, providing regular updates and fielding questions from the community during the prolonged closure.

Herrington, who was elected without opposition three times, is retiring, and three experienced school administrators are running for the job: Ron Calloway, superintendent of the Mark West Union School District; Amie Carter, assistant superintendent in Marin County’s Office of Education; and Brad Coscarelli, principal of Hidden Valley elementary in Santa Rosa.

The election is June 7. If no one gets a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff in November.

All three candidates have leadership experience in local schools and enthusiasm for public education. But in the final analysis, we think Carter rises above the field.

Carter, a former principal at Rancho Cotate High in Rohnert Park, is the only candidate with experience in a county office of education. She has a doctorate in organizational leadership change, which aligns with the county superintendent’s role as adviser to district superintendents on academic and financial issues and a leader in developing strategies to improve student performance. She also has a credential in cross-cultural and academic development — valuable knowledge for any educator in a county with a large proportion of English-language learners.

Carter also would be the first woman to serve as Sonoma County superintendent in almost 100 years, which is more than symbolic in a field where men still tend to dominate leadership roles even though a vast majority of teachers and other school employees are women.

Calloway has impressive administrative experience, having managed human services and operations for Santa Rosa City Schools. He has been Mark West’s superintendent for 11 years and led the district though a crisis in 2017 when the Tubbs fire destroyed the homes of hundreds of students and employees. Calloway could easily step in as county superintendent, but he was set to retire this year, so he might be a transitional figure at a time when declining enrollment could prompt seismic changes for local schools.

Coscarelli is a former industrial arts teacher — a fitting background to lead an office that offers career technical education classes. He promises close scrutiny of school district finances to ensure that money is getting into the classroom. But he has never held a position above principal, and the county superintendent is responsible for 300 employees and a $78 million budget, as well as fiscal oversight of 40 school districts. We’re also concerned about his close ties to teachers unions, as the superintendent’s first responsibility is to taxpayers.

Under Herrington, the Sonoma County Office of Education has expanded mental health services for students affected by fires and COVID, created a local teacher training program and explored housing options to assist in recruiting and retaining teachers. The next superintendent needs to build on those programs while providing continued leadership for local schools in challenging times. For this important job, The Press Democrat recommends Amie Carter.

Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated to reflect that Sonoma County had female superintendents of schools prior to 1926.

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