Third top administrator leaves school district
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Assistant Superintendent Jan Maez will soon be leaving the Pleasant Valley School District, school officials announced in a statement earlier this week.

Maez will be an assistant superintendent with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Her last day with Pleasant Valley has yet to be determined, but she's expected to stay in Camarillo until October.

"I got a great opportunity," said Maez, who has headed Pleasant Valley's fiscal services department for six years. "I'm just really excited about it."

Maez is the third top administrator in four months to leave the district. Interim Superintendent Ken Moffett left in May, a month before the school year ended, and last month Assistant Superintendent Barbara Davis accepted a job with a Riverside County school district.

The turnover has some people wondering if there are problems within the district. District officials say no.

"I don't think that says anything about the district," school board President Ron Speakman said. "Administrators are always looking for opportunities for growth."

Maez agreed. She said her decision to leave was based strictly on advancing her career.

"I don't want it at all to be a reflection on the district, because it shouldn't be," Maez said. "It was not because there was something wrong here. . . . I think I'm ready at this point in my career to take the next step. A larger district is where I'm kind of heading."

The K12 Santa MonicaMalibu Unified School District operates 17 schools and has about 12,000 students.

Cal Lutheran University professor Susan Murphy, a specialist in organizational behavior and human resources, said that generally when an organization has a high amount of turnover, it's because of two reasons: A poor fit between the person and organization, or the organization is experiencing some sort of turmoil.