To the surprise of few and the delight of many, the School Board voted unanimously last evening to elevate the popular Leslie Lockhart from interim superintendent of the School District to permanent status.
Ms. Lockhart’s widely welcomed ascension has been the Board’s plan – although it publicly said otherwise — since the dark night last June when members secretively and suddenly cashiered first-year Supt. Josh Arnold. He was well-liked, too, except by the School Board.
Critics hailed Ms. Lockhart’s selection for several reasons.
In the short term her congenial presence has helped to minimize the stench of Mr. Arnold’s firing and the clumsy handling of it by the School Board.
The eminently capable Ms. Lockhart has spent two of the three decades of her education career in the School District.
Formerly assistant principal at Culver City High School and principal of El Rincon Elementary, she has held the title of assistant superintendent for human resources for the last seven years.
“As a long-time employee,” said outgoing School Board President Kathy Paspalis, “she knows the district extremely well, is invested in it, and is already doing the job admirably.
“Furthermore, when we asked parents, stakeholders and the CCUSD staff about the qualities of our next superintendent, Leslie received unsolicited widespread support.”
Ms. Lockhart, now the first black superintendent of the School District, earned her master’s degrees in educational administration and business administration from Pepperdine and her bachelor’s degree from UCLA.
As assistant principal of Culver High, Ms. Lockhart developed, maintained, evaluated, implemented and enhanced extracurricular activities that helped to promote student achievement and general student well-being. She also created the Student Inter-Cultural Advisory Committee where students were trained in the anti-hate and anti-bias curriculum.
Under her guidance, from 2004 to 2008 at El Rincon, Academic Performance Index scores increased from 786 to 835. She piloted the full-day kindergarten program, created fifth-grade Exit Portfolios presentations, and the fifth-grade ballroom dance program. Ms. Lockhart piloted the Growing Great Program and created the annual Cultural Faire where all cultures are celebrated and appreciated. Due to her efforts, El Rincon became a Global Science Focus School, where a hands-on science lab serves students with a science staff development center for elementary school teachers district wide. She also implemented community and global awareness programs, including a malaria documentary and fundraiser and a fundraiser to help support the victims of Hurricane Katrina.