Ocean View School District picks new superintendent

The Ocean View School District has chosen a new superintendent after a year of searching, officials said. They named Alan Rasmussen, already working as an assistant superintendent with the district, to take over the top post.

He will take over the job from Interim Supt. Ed Sussman on Jan. 1. The district hasn’t had a permanent head since last December, when former Supt. Karen Colby retired after she was placed on administrative leave.

Rasmussen and Sussman were part of an interim team that got high marks throughout the district, Ocean View School Board President Tracy Pellman said.

“They were a dynamic duo,” she said. “Plus, with Carlene Chandler as our [chief financial officer], we had the dynamic trio in there. It was like the A-team, an all-star team.”

Board members and consultant the Frank Cosca Group had narrowed down a list of candidates this summer to one, Ontario-Montclair School District Deputy Supt. James Kidwell. But they couldn’t come to an agreement in final negotiations in August.

Board members repeatedly asked Rasmussen to lead the district, and he finally came around to the idea, Pellman said. She said their approval after he expressed interest was immediate.

“We were all thrilled,” she said. “We all thought, ‘OK, we don’t need to look any more.’ We already know how he’s going to work out; it’s great.”