RETIRING MUROC OFFICIAL `REHIRED' SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH IS STILL ON.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

NORTH EDWARDS -- Muroc Joint Unified School District trustees have approved keeping retiring Superintendent Mike Summerbell on as a consultant while the search for a new superintendent continues.

Summerbell's last day is today, and the superintendent search firm is still in the process of finding applicants, officials said.

``We've hired a consulting firm. They are supposed to be headhunting and getting us some people but we don't want to wait forever on that,'' board President Chuck James said. ``We wanted to get Mike in place because he's out of his contract.''

The board at Wednesday's meeting approved a consultant agreement with Summerbell. He will be paid $93.75 per hour on an as-needed basis for up to 40 hours a week, said Terri Stogner, superintendent secretary.

The agreement runs through Oct. 31 and can be extended.

``We would hope to get this company that we've hired to turn us in some names pretty quick so that we can make some choices,'' James said.

The board is seeking to replace Summerbell, who is retiring after 11 years at Muroc and two years in the top post.

The search process has taken several turns.

Trustees initially sought applicants from among district employees, drawing two applicants, but one then decided to leave the district and the other pulled out from consideration, trustees said.

The search was then expanded to include applicants from outside the school district, but the trustees did not find a suitable candidate from among the 15 people who applied.

Muroc then began talks with the superintendent of the El Segundo Unified School District, who was planning on retiring, to work as an interim superintendent, but he withdrew his name from consideration.

Muroc has 2,300 students at seven schools in Boron and North Edwards and at Edwards Air Force Base.

The board has a list of desired qualifications for a superintendent, including a master's degree, or equivalent course work and experience; a California administrative credential for grades kindergarten through grade 12; a minimum of three years' teaching experience; a minimum of five years' administrative experience; and familiarity with the federal impact aid program.

Muroc receives federal impact aid to provide a source of revenue because the 301,000-acre base and its residents are exempt from local taxes.

Candidates also must ``desire to work in a small remote district, obtain respect in local communities, and lead these communities in their efforts to maintain and improve the quality of education in their schools,'' the job posting said.

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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