Q & A

* Irvine Unified School District Supt. Dennis M. Smith

Dennis M. Smith becomes superintendent of the Irvine Unified School District on Aug. 1. A marathon runner who jogs six miles a day, Smith, 44, was the unanimous choice of Irvine’s school board to succeed David E. Brown, who left in October for a position in the Napa Valley. School board members say that Smith, who comes to Irvine after five years as superintendent of the Laguna Beach Unified School District, began the first major fund-raising drive for an Orange County public school district at Laguna. Facing $2.2 million in budget cuts for the coming school year, Irvine Unified’s board is looking to Smith to increase district revenue from outside sources. Smith spoke with Times correspondent Russ Loar about his goals. Q: Why did you want the Irvine Unified job?

A: I’ve always respected the Irvine district and felt it was one of the best in California. It is a tremendous community with enormous parent involvement and an outstanding staff. They have the reputation of being a premier school system and quite innovative in areas of curriculum reform and instruction. I always felt that, if I ever had the opportunity, I would be indeed fortunate. I feel very fortunate.

Q: What goals do you share with the district?

A: I have a very strong focus on academic integrity and how well our students achieve. I think that’s our primary mission, to enhance the quality of student instruction and achievement. There’s also a wealth of potential business partners in the community that we hope to join hands with to create stronger revenue sources.

Q: Irvine Unified had more money in the failed Orange County investment pool than any other school district. Did the county bankruptcy give you any pause in applying for the job?

A: I did my homework to make sure the district was going to be solvent. What I found was that the governing board had worked diligently to make the tough decisions to ensure the fiscal stability of the district. I was impressed with the quality of the governing board and its leadership during this financial crisis. It will be a challenge in the next few years, but the district is right on course.

Q: Irvine school board members say they want to revive the district’s ambitious Foundations for the Future program to create a districtwide computer network. How important is technology in public education?

A: It is absolutely crucial that our students are able to interact with technology for learning purposes, that there’s a fluency and proficiency and a comfort level with technology. We need to have students interact with technology right in the classroom. But that’s probably going to come by way of alternate funding sources.