L.B. school board appoints interim superintendent

Trustees begin search for Weiss’s replacement

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The Long Beach Board of Education appointed an interim superintendent at a special meeting on Sept. 7 after current superintendent David Weiss announced last month that he will step down.

Dr. Jennifer Gallagher, the current Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, will assume the interim superintendent position, school officials said, on Sept. 21 with the help of the Executive Director of Human Resources, Dr. Michele Natali, and Chief Operating Officer Mr. Michael DeVito. The trio will share the responsibilities of the role.

The change comes on the heels of Weiss announcing that he will leave the district on Sept. 20 for a new position with the International Baccalaureate organization, a multinational educational foundation that supplies advanced academic programs to schools around the world. He will serve as the IB’s head of U.S. Public Schools in Bethesda, Md.

Gallagher, who joined the Long Beach School District last year, has more than 30 years of experience in education, having worked as a teacher and a principal in the past, according to the district’s website. She previously served as the Director of Instructional Services for the Valley Stream Central High School District, where she supervised the district’s curriculum and instruction and led professional development.

She also worked as a charter school network director and a middle school principal in New York City where she founded an orchestral program and a science research program in partnership with Stony Brook Medical School.

School Board President Stewart Mininsky said the trustees believe that the temporary guidance “will provide efficiency and stability during this time of transition.”

The board plans to immediately begin searching for a permanent superintendent and will soon announce opportunities for community input. Trustees said they expect to name the new superintendent by the middle of the school year and have them start their duties in July.