The former Malibu High School principal and current interim superintendent of the school district has accepted a position with a private firm that develops after-school programming.
By Jonathan Frochtzwajg / Special to The Malibu Times
Mike Matthews, former Malibu High School principal and current interim superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, announced Monday that he will be leaving the district in September to take a position as vice president of the Los Angeles office branch of Extreme Learning, a San Francisco-based firm that develops after-school programming for Title I schools that have been placed in Program Improvement.
Although favored by many parents and teachers to become the permanent replacement for John Deasy as superintendent, Matthews withdrew his name from consideration late last month because, he said, he did not believe he would be selected for the position. He told the local media that he believed the SMMUSD Board of Education was looking for somebody with more experience, and he did not want to remain a candidate if he did not have a chance to be a finalist.
Matthews did not return calls for comment on Tuesday.
Matthews has worked within the SMMUSD since 1993, when he became principal of the newly created Malibu High School. As principal, Matthews oversaw the school’s transformation into a California Distinguished School. In 2004, Matthews left his position at Malibu High to take a job as the assistant superintendent of human resources for the SMMUSD. He was appointed interim superintendent earlier this year after Deasy left
When former district Superintendent John Deasy resigned earlier this year to take a job as chief executive officer at the Prince George County School District in Maryland, the Board of Education appointed Matthews to serve as interim superintendent.
“I look forward to learning instructional techniques and strategies that can be directly applied to children in districts, like ours, that are truly committed to closing the achievement gap,” Matthews said in a school district press release. “Although it is difficult to leave the district after 13 years, I will always be grateful for the commitment and compassion to our children I have seen from all district employees. I will always treasure the professional relationships that I have enjoyed throughout my tenure at SMMUSD.”
The Board of Education is “extremely grateful for [Matthews’] years of dedication to SMMUSD and his extraordinary accomplishments both at Malibu High School and as an integral part of the leadership team,” SMMUSD Vice President Kathy Wisnicki said in the same press release. “I believe that he will be an incredible asset to Extreme Learning in providing services to students of greatest need. This new and exciting endeavor will provide opportunities for him to grow professionally and broaden his knowledge in educational reform.”
The Board is presently conducting a final round of interviews for the superintendent position, and expects to select a finalist in the next few weeks. Matthews will remain the interim superintendent until the permanent replacement is selected. After that, he will remain on board until September to allow for a smooth transition.