Portola Valley Superintendent Lisa Gonzales resigns

Note: An updated story on Lisa Gonzales’ departure from Portola Valley can be seen here.

Lisa Gonzales, who became superintendent of the two-school Portola Valley School District in August 2013, has resigned, effective Oct. 9, the district board of trustees announced in a press release sent out shortly after noon Oct. 9.

Eric Hartwig, former Las Lomitas Elementary School District superintendent and former principal of Menlo-Atherton High School, is expected to begin as interim superintendent of the district on Oct. 15. The school board will consider his contract at its Oct. 14 meeting, the press release said.

Ms. Gonzales “is resigning to take on a greater leadership role as vice president of the Association of California School Administrators, where she will continue to work on state and federal education policy,” according to the release.

In the written statement, the board expressed “gratitude to Dr. Gonzales for the many contributions to our school community under her leadership, including successfully guiding the implementation of the strategic plan, recruiting talented administrators and staff, increasing the frequency and effectiveness of communication, and bringing visibility and recognition to the district in very positive ways including the Gold Ribbon Award” for Corte Madera School.

Mr. Hartwig was an English teacher in middle and high schools before becoming assistant principal at Capuchino High School, and then principal at M-A, a job he held for nine years. He then served for four years as director of curriculum and instruction for the Sequoia Union High School District before becoming superintendent of the Las Lomitas district, where he worked for five years before retiring.

The formal recruitment of a permanent superintendent to take over at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year will begin in January, according to the press release.