Editor’s note: The first paragraph of this article has been changed to reflect that Rebecca Salato’s pending appointment as superintendent is for that position with the Konocti Unified School District, not the Kelseyville Unified School District, as had been erroneously stated.
LOWER LAKE — The Konocti Unified School District Board will approve educator Rebecca Salato as the district’s next superintendent on Wednesday during the board’s regularly scheduled board meeting.
Salato will begin her tenure on July 1. Donna Becnel, current superintendent of KUSD, is retiring at the end of this school year.
Sue Burton, KUSD board president, stated that Becnel had done a great job and will be missed. A private firm was hired to assist in the search for Becnel’s replacement. A committee of community members, staff and students was formed to assist in the selection of the final candidate out of the 14 candidates who applied. Burton stated that the decision to hire Salato was unanimous.
“We feel Salato is the best fit for our district,” Burton noted.
Salato spent the past nine years as chief operating officer for Action Learning, an educational reform company focused on increasing student achievement. Before this, she was the director of instructional support services for Beaumont Unified School District.
Salato stated that she has been looking for a smaller district with a proven track record of positive community involvement. During the interview process she said she could sense that the district “had a heart for kids,” which made KUSD a great fit for her. For the first six months, Salato stated that she plans to spend a great deal of time listening, learning and meeting everyone. She plans to visit the schools and find out about the great things happening at the sites. She will be evaluating the district’s progress regarding the goals of the KUSD Local Control Accountability Plan and will be involving community, staff and students to ensure everyone is moving forward together.
Her ultimate goal, Salato said, is for KUSD to be in the top 10 percent of school districts in all of California. She wanted it known that she is “open and transparent” and that her door is always open.
Other KUSD meeting agenda items on Wednesday include the recognition of retirees as well as the acceptance of several donations to be used for designated school activities and scholarships.
In addition, Dana Moore, director of maintenance, operations, transportation and construction will provide construction updates to include the installation of security cameras and the modernization of some school facilities.
KUSD includes the towns of Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, and Lower Lake as well as Spring Valley and a portion of Cobb Mountain.
The meeting will be held Wednesday, May 1 at 6:15 p.m. at the Carol McClung Conference Center, 9430-B Lake Street, Lower Lake.
