Davis to leave PVSD
Replacement yeto be named
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Pleasant Valley School District will lose another top official.

Assistant Superintendent Barbara Davis accepted a similar position with the Moreno Valley Unified School District and leaves the district next month.

Her last day will be Sept. 7.

Davis, who has been with Pleasant Valley for two years, was not available for comment.

Interim Superintendent Luis Villegas, whom the district hired last month, said Davis is extremely bright and articulate and "will be dearly missed."

"I think she'll be a real asset to that district," Villegas said.

Rowena Lagrosa, Moreno Valley superintendent, said they were impressed with Davis' "depth of instruction," knowledge of how to help improve student achievement and her ability to prepare middle school students for college.

"She's just very down-to-earth . . . knew our district's vision and was able to articulate it. Everyone felt very comfortable with her at the table," Lagrosa said.

They had no reluctance in hiring Davis, coming from a 7,000student school district, to steer their 37,000-student district, she said.

"The smaller the district the more hats you wear, and, therefore, you almost become an expert in so many areas . . ." Lagrosa said. "We saw it as an asset."

Villegas said the person they hire to fill Davis' position must grasp what the job entails and have the ability to meet it. He said he hopes to fill the position by the end of September.

"Finding someone of Barbara's quality will be difficult. We're not going to be able to fill her shoes, but we'll look for a strong candidate . . . that comes in with the experience I feel they need," Villegas said.

As assistant superintendent in charge of education services, Davis oversaw student testing and was also responsible for preparing teachers through training workshops to meet students' needs.

Earlier this month, the California State Department of Education released its annual state test results, and Pleasant Valley students outscored their county and state peers.

Davis saw the district through a turbulent school year that was marked by the closing of two schools and the restructuring of two others.

She also filled in as superintendent when Tom Dase left in September and in May after interim Superintendent Ken Moffett left abruptly.

Davis is expected to return to Camarillo for the Sept. 20 school board meeting to give a report on recent state test results.