School Super Succession
- Neelum Arya | Zuni Drive
Del Mar Union School District Superintendent Holly McClurg will be retiring in July after 16 years of service to our community. During her leadership, Dr. McClurg oversaw passage of the Measure MM general obligation bond to renovate school facilities, implemented a new Spanish Language Immersion program available at the Del Mar Hills Academy and Ashley Falls school in Carmel Valley, and developed three strategic plans for the District. The new superintendent will inherit modernized state-of-the-art classroom environments, a seasoned teacher workforce, an engaged parent community, and high-performing students. As we look to the future, Del Mar families with young children shared their priorities for our schools and the new superintendent.
Residents are hoping for more opportunities for community engagement and a new commitment to transparency. Top of mind for residents overall is the need for virtual school board meetings, something both Solana Beach and Poway School Districts have offered for years. Many parents also hope for greater fiscal transparency to better understand what it will take to bring transitional Kindergarten to scale and ensure our STEAM+ program can flourish.
We are fortunate to have school leaders with decades of experience and low teacher turnover, but many parents are hoping an external superintendent candidate will bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to the table. Overall, parents are excited by DMUSD’s “Portrait of a Learner,” which identifies the skills, mindsets, and competencies that students need for success in this rapidly changing world. Parents hope to build on that foundation. Several candidates during the most recent school board race floated ideas such as bringing an International Baccalaureate (IB) program to the district, or adding Gifted and Talented Education (GATE). Other parents hope to see the curriculum include more direct and explicit instruction in key foundational skills like reading. In recent years, more than 25 states have updated their laws and curriculum to reflect the latest science about how children learn to read. California has not passed such legislation (currently pending in the legislature as AB 1121), but parents hope that the District will not wait for the state to act.
Neelum Arya is a graduate of Del Mar Hills school and parent of a first grader attending Del Mar Heights school.