New Hemet Superintendent Barry Kayrell, left, hugs San Jacinto Superintendent Shari Fox after Kayrell was hired by the Hemet school board.
BY KEVIN PEARSON
STAFF WRITER [email protected]
This time, he was the runaway favorite.
Saying that no other candidate even came close to what Kayrell had to offer, the Hemet school board unanimously voted to hire him away from the Beaumont Unified School District on Tuesday, Sept. 11, ending a six-month search for a Hemet superintendent.
Beaumont's school board, in the meantime, was still discussing their search for a superintendent. "We are still working on a couple of issues," board President Susie Lara said after a closed-session meeting. She said the item will be placed on the next board meeting agenda. The board's next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 25.
Kayrell, 60, is a Murrieta resident who has been Beaumont’s superintendent for the past seven years. He will officially begin his new job Oct. 1 but started his tenure in Hemet on Tuesday by shaking hands and meeting his new staff, with a smile stretched across his face.
“I’m a hands-on person,” Kayrell said. “It’s all about relationships with people. And it’s the people that make the organization.”
Kayrell will have his hands full in the Hemet job as he transitions to a district more than twice the size of Beaumont’s. He will look to pull Hemet out of its Program Improvement status and deal with a budget that is extremely strapped.
But on Tuesday, board members raved about what and it was on full display during a packed meet-and-greet session in the district’s board room. As employees and community members lined up to meet him, school board members spoke of his willingness to engage the community — a trait they said his predecessor, Steve Lowder, did not excel in.
“He will be a refreshing change,” board member Lisa DeForest said. “He is available to people, and that is very important. Our district is thirsty for a voice.”
Lowder, who beat out Kayrell in 2010, left abruptly in the spring to become superintendent of Stockton Unified School District.
Kayrell said he sees Hemet as the final stop in what has already been a 37-year career in public education. He will make $205,000 annually in Hemet and his contract runs through June 30, 2016.
“The fact he applied twice shows he really wants to be here,” board member Joe Wojcik said. “It’s almost like he’s already eased into this job. He already has some ties to this district through the relationships he has built.”
Contributing to this report: Staff writer Erin Waldner, [email protected]
Follow Kevin Pearson on Twitter @pe_kevinpearson or online at blog. pe.com/Hemet