[img]2851|right|Lisa and Heaven Cooper||no_popup[/img]As the interim principal of Culver City High School, is it advantage or disadvantage for Dr. Lisa Cooper when the School District officially opens its search for a permanent administrator?
Supt. Dave LaRose this afternoon discussed the potentially tenuous position.
“‘Interim’ in itself brings about a number of challenges, different challenges,” he said. “If it is an external, unknown entity, that brings in a different dynamic.
For example, when an administrator departs, as Dr. Dylan Farris did last October, “a common strategy is to bring in a retired individual. Their role is to fill that gap. Other times you may have someone who is not retired come in from the outside. Part of their goal is to use the interim appointment to establish themselves as a viable candidate.
“When you have an internal candidate such as Lisa,” said Mr. LaRose, “before you talk about candidacy for the permanent position, I would say we are fortunate to have established leadership at the site.
“In the midst of a very unique transition, with Dr. Farris leaving for El Segundo, we stayed on course. What happens with ‘interim’ is that it is a step back. When it is internal, though, and fortunately with Dr. Cooper’s leadership, she has been able to sustain those efforts and move matters forward.
“For example,” said the superintendent, “there has been the work around professional learning communities and implementing an intervention program.”
To summarize, “we feel fortunate to go internal with the interim because that allows us to go forward,” Mr. LaRose said.
(To be continued)
