Snuff Marijuana Initiative, Schools Chief Tells Board

Ralf Swenson, Grossmont Union High School District's new superintendent, doesn't consider himself  the political type. But he'll speak out against anything he thinks is harmful to students.

At his first board meeting Sept. 2, the former superintendent of a Northern California district proposed a resolution opposing Proposition 19, the state initiative that would legalize marijuana.

 "To me that's not a Republican issue or Democratic issue or Libertarian issue," Swenson said, adding that he's studied the pros and cons of the proposed measure. "To me it has to do with the safety of kids."

Swenson, 55, has used that same studied approach to guide him during his long career in public education.

"My lens for every decision I make is: Is this good for students or not?" Swenson said.

The board will consider his proposed resolution at its Oct. 14 meeting. The Association of California School Administrators and the San Mateo Union High School District are among opponents of Proposition 19, which also has many supporters.

Passing a resolution will be easy compared to other challenges ahead for the East County superintendent. Then again he's new and is still getting to know the district, which  is many times larger than the one he left. Swenson led the Nevada Joint Union High School District, which has about 4,000 students. Grossmont has more than 20,000 students.

His coming from a smaller district was not a major concern for Grossmont trustees who unanimously approved his appointment in June.

"Not sure size matters that much," said trustee Richard Hoy. "He had a history of working through problems when he was at Nevada Joint Union and when he was a principal and that showed us he could do the job."

Hoy called him "very personable. We checked him out. He worked very well with the teachers' association there. They said he was a good superintendent."

Trustee Jim Kelly agreed on the personable part and added another character trait: coolness.

"He doesn't run around like his hair is on fire," Kelly said. "He's very calm and very deliberate. I predict he'll be around for a while."

Swenson took over after former Superintendent Robert Collins, who was hired from the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2007, retired and went to work for an international education corporation.

Collins took care of some of the most pressing problems facing the district before leaving in the summer, which has allowed Swenson time to get to know the district at a reasonable pace.

In his final months at the helm, Collins saw the end of a  legal dispute between the district and Helix Charter High School. The district threatened to revoke the school's charter over its handling of a series of teacher misconduct cases. Helix sued, but both sides reached a settlement in April where both sides agreed to forge positive relations.

"For me, that's the past," he said. "I wasn't here. I understand it. I empathize with the people affected  by it. I prefer to focus on the future."

Swenson said he's already met a few times with Rani Goyal, Helix High's new executive director, and those conversations have been "very positive, very future focused."

The district and the teachers union also reached a contract settlement after several tension-filled months.

"Bob Collins left our district with pretty smooth sailing," said trustee Kelly,  "but the one thing he could not do was fix the state budget. But then again that's always going to be our number one problem."

Like others across the state, the Grossmont district  is strapped for money and is projecting a $15 million deficit next school year. The labor agreement expires in June and teachers weren't happy accepting a nearly 3 percent pay cut in the form of five unpaid furlough days.

Fran Zumwalt, president of the Grossmont Education Association, said: "There will be pressure to maintain that reduction and get more from teachers in the 2011-2012 school year."

Swenson said it's still early but he thinks the district will be under pressure to sustain cuts and make additional ones.

Swenson said he's been on a "listening tour" since starting work here in August, touring schools, meeting with administrators and staff and "letting people know what I value."

His office is a reflection of his values. A portrait of Albert Einstein is on a wall near his desk, also a large photo of some ex-presidents, a copy of the Gettysburg Address and several books in a shelf, including Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals."

There also is a reminder of his youth in his native North Dakota. A small photo taken in the early 1970s shows him in football uniform looking sweat-drenched  during a high school game. He played running back and planned to continue in college but broke his foot before his freshman year.

Swenson graduated from the University of North Dakota with bachelor's and master's degrees. He began his career in the late 1970s as a social studies teacher in his native state and also coached football and track.

In 1989, he moved with his family to California, where he took a job as a vice principal in the Merced Union High School District. In 1993 he was named principal of the district's Golden Valley High School, a position he held until 2007, when he was named superintendent of Nevada Joint Union.

During his tenure, three of the district's high schools were recognized as California Distinguished Schools. He carried out several initiatives, including partnerships with the local community college and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Getting appointed Grossmont superintendent by a 5-0 vote was important to him, he said, because it shows trustees have confidence in his abilities to lead the district.

"We may not have 5-0 votes in the future because tough issues are going to come before us," Swenson said. "There's going to be controversies. There's going to be potential disagreements. I really want to make sure that what we're doing is helping the students."