Jim Hogeboom
The Lucia Mar school board on Tuesday likely will hire its top candidate — an assistant superintendent in Corvallis, Ore.—to lead the South County school district.
Jim Hogeboom signed a three-year contract late Wednesday night that will pay him $164,560 a year.
The Lucia Mar Unified School District board is set to give final approval to the contract at its meeting Tuesday.
Hogeboom is set to start July 1. He was selected from a field of 11 candidates.
He will transition into the school district starting Tuesday but will only be paid reimbursement costs such as transportation, meals, hotel and other related expenses until his start date.
The contract offers Hogeboom up to $10,000 for moving costs, 25 days of paid vacation each year, health benefits and reimbursement for mileage costs. He will be entitled to up to $5,000 a year in training costs.
The terms of the agreement also stipulate that school district must pay Hogeboom the equivalent of a 12-month salary, or until he secures a new job, if he is fired without cause or a hearing.
Lucia Mar, the county’s largest district with more than 10,000 students, has lacked a permanent leader since former superintendent Deborah Flores left 10 months ago for a job in Gilroy. Interim Superintendent Bill Brand has led the district since then.
In November, the Lucia Mar board identified several qualities it wanted in a new top administrator, including an understanding of public education finance and curriculum, strong communication skills, community involvement and experience in a district similar in size to or larger than Lucia Mar.
Hogeboom joins the Lucia Mar school district at a time when it will have to cut more than $2.3 million from its budget in the next two years to meet state financial requirements. Also, the district’s enrollment is declining—making incoming revenue less and less each year.
School board members say Hogeboom, who has held his current post for three years, demonstrates the desired qualities and is ready for the challenge.
“He has all the skills we are looking for,” board President Erik Howell said. “It will be nice to have some stability. I think he is coming for the long term.”
Hogeboom has a master’s degree in education administration from San Francisco State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley.
Before becoming assistant superintendent in Corvallis, Hogeboom worked as an assistant principal and principal of two middle schools in Northern California.
“We are looking forward to the move,” said Hogeboom, whose wife and two school-age children also will move with him. “Anyone who has been an assistant anything for awhile hopefully gets to a point of wanting to take charge. I am ready to do that. This seems like a great match.”
Reach AnnMarie Cornejo at 781-7939.
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