New superintendent is hired for Menlo Park school district New superintendent is hired for Menlo Park school district (June 26, 2002)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

Kenneth Ranella, now the superintendent of the Sebastopol Union School District in Sebastopol, has been hired as superintendent of the Menlo Park City School District, effective August 12.

Mr. Ranella signed a two-year and 11-month contract and will be paid an annual salary of $166,500, a Menlo Park district official said.

Mr. Ranella replaces Meredith Jones, who followed through on her January announcement to resign at the end of the school year in order to rejoin her family on the East Coast. After five years at the Menlo Park district, Ms. Jones was being paid $180,953 annually.

With this appointment, Mr. Ranella is continuing a 27-year career in education in California, according to information provided by the Menlo Park district. He served as superintendent at Sebastopol for five years, after seven years as superintendent of the Union Hill Elementary School District, also in Grass Valley.

In the 1993-1994 school year, Mr. Ranella also served as interim superintendent of the Chicago Park School District, also in Grass Valley, when the superintendent resigned unexpectedly.

Earlier, Mr. Ranella served as a director of curriculum and continuing education and as a principal in the Black Oak Mine Unified School District in the Sierra foothills. He was also an English and reading resources teacher at the junior and senior high-school levels in California. He holds a master's degree in education administration from Sacramento State University.

In his research of the district prior to accepting the position, Mr. Ranella said, he was intrigued by the quality of Menlo Park's schools, the levels of financial support and volunteerism, the strong leadership from the board and school administrators and the schools' high levels of academic performance.

"I really want to focus on a school district that is really focused on student performance," he said, adding that he has spent more time than he would have liked in the past thinking about school construction and facilities. He said he sees the position as "a great professional opportunity" to work in Menlo Park and San Mateo County.

The Sebastopol and the Menlo Park districts are similar in that both of them consist of four elementary schools. The Menlo Park district serves almost 2,000 students compared with about 1,400 in Sebastopol.

During Ms. Jones' five-year tenure at Menlo Park, she oversaw the passage of a $298-per-year parcel tax in April 2000; construction and renovation at all four schools; and the expansion of the district's music, art, physical education and counseling resources.

Nancy Serrurier, the president of the district's school board, in an earlier interview with the Almanac said of Ms. Jones that "her vision, leadership and energy have helped strengthen our schools by focusing on what's important for children: improving teaching and learning. She has been a pleasure to work with, and we will miss her very much."

E-mail David Boyce at dboyce@AlmanacNews.com.