9/18/2025 11:55 PM Pacific
Date Posted 8/11/2025 Contact McPherson & JacobsonNumber of Openings 1 Salary Pay Range
$300,000 - $350,000 Annually Length of Work Year 12 Months/full time Employment Type Full Time Job Description / Essential Elements: Print
Position Description for Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, City of Industry, California
The Hacienda La Puente Unified School District Board of Trustees is seeking an effective leader and fully qualified Superintendent. The Board wishes to have the successful candidate assume the responsibilities of the position on January 1, 2026.
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment and Development, in collaboration with the California School Boards Association, has been engaged as the consultant in a search for outstanding candidates. They will assist the Board of Trustees in identifying and screening the candidates.
Enrollment: 15,480
Location: City of Industry, 20 miles east of Los Angeles
The Qualifications
The candidate must have the background, skills, and abilities essential for excellence in educational leadership. The board recognizes that selecting a superintendent is one of the most important decisions it will make. The board desires candidates that have a proven ability and demonstrated accomplishments for the following position criteria:
Educational Leader:
The ideal superintendent is a visionary and student-centered educational leader who places academic excellence and equity at the core of the district’s mission. Bold and forward-thinking, this leader is committed to reimagining public education to ensure every student—especially English learners, students with disabilities, and historically underserved populations—has access to high-quality instruction, support, and opportunities for success. As the district’s lead learner, this individual brings deep expertise in curriculum design, instruction, and assessment. They are well-versed in research based reading and writing, and skilled in implementing culturally responsive, inclusive, and emotionally supportive teaching practices. Their leadership is grounded in data-driven decision-making and a commitment to closing achievement and opportunity gaps. This superintendent aligns district wide goals with school-level strategies and classroom practices, ensuring coherence and shared accountability. They advocate strongly for college and career readiness, including CTE and advanced placement pathways, and invest in targeted interventions to support struggling students. An experienced instructional leader, they have a proven track record of supervising academic programs and developing effective, aligned professional learning that supports teacher and staff growth. They balance high expectations with meaningful support, using systems thinking to build leadership capacity, foster collaboration, and sustain continuous improvement. Above all, this educational leader models inclusivity, professionalism, and ethical leadership, ensuring that every student and educator in the district is empowered to thrive in a culture of high achievement, innovation, and continuous learning.
Effective Fiscal Leader:
The ideal superintendent is a fiscally responsible and visionary leader with a strong record of operational excellence. They possess the expertise to develop and implement long-range educational and financial plans that directly support student achievement and district improvement. This includes successful experience with multi-million-dollar budgets, bond management, workforce housing, and strategic use of LCFF and Title funding. A collaborative and decisive leader, they engage effectively with all district partners—unions, non-union staff, and the broader community—to move educational initiatives forward. They demonstrate a deep understanding of fiscal fundamentals, including healthy fiscal reserves, addressing deficit spending, and long-term financial planning, and have a proven ability to secure grants and launch cost-effective programs that enhance student services. This leader has left past districts in stronger financial and academic standing, with measurable successes such as improved graduation rates, academic gains, and increased stakeholder trust. As a skilled problem solver in areas like facilities, collective bargaining, and day-to-day operations, they bring high integrity, flexibility, and a steady focus on big-picture goals. They build strong internal teams by empowering others, developing leadership capacity, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement through professional development and shared responsibility. Ultimately, their operational competence includes experience with fiscal oversight, bond management, and collective bargaining—while making courageous, student-focused decisions with transparency and integrity.
Equity Leader:
The ideal superintendent is an equity-centered leader with the moral courage and systems thinking necessary to make bold, data-informed decisions through a clear equity lens. Culturally competent, multilingual, and experienced in serving diverse communities, this leader actively addresses opportunity and achievement gaps, particularly for historically marginalized and underserved student groups. With a strong track record of dismantling systemic barriers—including those related to language, ability, income, and ZIP code—they ensure that resources, programs, and support are equitably distributed to meet students’ individual needs. This includes advancing access to high-quality programming across all quads, including arts, STEM, special education, and dual-language instruction. This leader values cultural diversity and demonstrates the ability to engage and communicate effectively with families from all backgrounds. Committed to educational justice, they lead with compassion, integrity, and urgency to create inclusive systems where every student—especially unduplicated and vulnerable youth—can thrive.
Community-Centered Leader:
The ideal superintendent is a community-centered leader who genuinely values the rich diversity and unique perspectives of the Hacienda La Puente school community. Deeply committed to building strong, authentic relationships, this leader is consistently visible and engaged—attending school and community events, visiting classrooms, participating in district and site meetings, town halls, and actively collaborating with local organizations, faith groups, and civic leaders. Approachable and accessible, this leader creates open lines of communication through regular town halls, school visits, and community listening sessions. They ensure that families, students, and staff—regardless of background or position—feel heard, respected, and empowered to participate in shaping the district’s direction. Demonstrating strong cultural proficiency, the superintendent skillfully brings together the various voices across the district—including parents, educators, classified staff, students, and community advocates—to foster unity, mutual respect, and shared purpose. They navigate cultural differences with empathy, address conflicts with care, and work diligently to build a climate of trust, transparency, and honesty. This leader models a deep ethical commitment to community involvement by creating systems that encourage meaningful participation from all educational partners—especially those historically underrepresented in decision-making. Whether through multilingual family engagement initiatives, student advisory groups, or neighborhood partnerships, the superintendent actively works to ensure that the community plays a central role in the educational process and student success.
Ethical Communicator and Collaborator:
The ideal superintendent is an inclusive, ethical, and courageous communicator who actively listens, values diverse perspectives, and builds strong, trusting relationships throughout the district. With exceptional verbal, written, and digital communication skills, this leader engages transparently with the Board, staff, students, families, bargaining units, and the broader community. Culturally competent and emotionally intelligent, they foster collaboration, navigate differences with respect, and lead difficult conversations—especially around educational equity—with clarity and purpose. They prioritize inclusive decision-making, even in challenging situations such as budget reductions or school closures, ensuring all voices are heard. As a strategic thinker and team builder, this superintendent articulates a clear vision and works collaboratively to implement and monitor district goals. They model civic engagement through active participation in community life and create space for families to be meaningfully involved in schools. Above all, this leader is a role model of integrity, accountability, empathy, and fairness—holding themselves and others to high standards while remaining deeply committed to student well-being and success.
Preferences:
Successful experience as a teacher and leader at the classroom, site, and district, and executive cabinet levels Doctorate degree Multilingual and Multicultural; having experience working in diverse communitiesSalary: $300,000-$350,000
Search Timeline:
Closing date for applications: September 18, 2025 Board of Trustees selects finalists to interview: October 14, 2025 Finalist Interviews with the Board: November 14-15, 2025 Selection of new Superintendent: December 11, 2025 · Start date: January 1, 2026Apply online at: www.macnjake.com
Contact information:
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C.
11725 Arbor Street, Suite 220
Omaha, NE 68144
888-375-4814
Email: apps@macnjake.com
School Website: https://www.hlpschools.org
Consultants:
Nicole Anderson n_anderson@macnjake.com
Ben Johnson b_johnson@macnjake.com
Bill Spalding w_spalding@macnjake.com
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. WCPS does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or disability and, when needed, will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees. Anyone requesting a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruitment process please contact McPherson & Jacobson at the address/phone/email above.
Requirements / Qualifications
See above
Requirements / QualificationsSee above
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