School district names new assistant superintendent
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Linda Peralta

Pleasant Valley School District has a new assistant superintendent of educational instruction.

The school board approved hiring Linda Peralta at its meeting last week.

Early next month, Peralta is expected to step into the position that was vacated by Barbara Davis in September.

"She brings a lot of good experience to the district and we're very excited to have her on the team," Superintendent Luis Villegas said.

Trustee Patty Lerner, who along with Villegas was a member of the interviewing committee, said, "We felt like Linda would bring the most to the PVSD team."

Peralta, a self-described people person, spent the last seven years as director of elementary education in the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

She said she's excited about coming to a district that's anxious and eager to build a strong school community.

"That's important to me," Peralta said.

The Thousand Oaks resident also said that while her duties in Conejo Valley focused only on the district's 20 elementary schools, she's looking forward to a job that encompasses districtwide responsibilities and the opportunity to connect with other departments, such as test assessment and technology.

Peralta has spent most of her 32-year career in education in the classroom. She taught for 16 years in public and private schools in the Los Angeles area, and spent five years as a trainer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. She was principal of an Oak Park elementary school for seven years until the Conejo Valley Unified School District hired her in 2000 as director of elementary education. She holds a master's degree in educational leadership.

Peralta added that she's glad to be working in Camarillo, where her parents lived for several years.