IRVINE : Board to Interview Top School Officials

School board members will hold a closed-door meeting tonight with the Irvine Unified School District’s three deputy superintendents to determine whether any of the high-ranking administrators plan to seek the job of Supt. David E. Brown, who is leaving the district in November.

Brown, hired in 1987, recently resigned to become superintendent of the Napa Valley Unified School District. He said he had had enough of the hectic Southern California lifestyle. Brown is the second superintendent of the 21-year-old school district.

A public discussion on the superintendent search will follow at the board’s regular 7:30 p.m. meeting.

Paul Reed, deputy superintendent of business services, declined to comment on whether he will be a candidate to replace Brown. Reed joined the school district in 1974 as a special education teacher, becoming an administrator in 1986 under former Supt. A. Stanley Corey.

“The board has indicated that they would like to speak to each of the three deputies,” Reed said. “They are going to explore options inside the school district before they go outside. That’s a compliment to all of us.”

Dean Waldfogel, deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said he is “definitely not a candidate” for Brown’s job. Susan Long, hired in 1987 as deputy superintendent of personnel services, also declined comment.

The school board has not held formal discussions on Brown’s replacement, but board President Mike Regele said he expects a nationwide search will be conducted, even if there are candidates from within the school district.

“The first thing we want to do is to see whether there’s anybody on our staff who would want to be considered,” Regele said. “I’m not saying anything more than that, other than this is the appropriate place to begin.”