The new superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District is set to be a familiar face: Michael Vierra, formerly deputy superintendent, before heading the district in an interim fashion over the last six months.  The district announced Friday that the governing board unanimously selected Vierra following a monthslong search that included seeking internal and external candidates. The board selected the final candidates earlier this month before conducting interviews on Thursday in a closed-session meeting.  “I chose Mike because he’s an honest guy, a good guy, and in the years I’ve known him, he loves the students, he loves the district,” governing board member Joe Messina said in a phone interview Friday. “The years he’s been with the district, it’s been about positive, student-based achievement … Out of the many applicants, he shined above.”  With the district for 12 years after coming over from the Antelope Valley Union High School District, Vierra previously held the roles of deputy superintendent of educational services and assistant superintendent of human resources. He has 35 years of experience in education as a teacher, site administrator and district administrator.  “I was really honored,” Vierra said in a phone interview on Friday. “I’ve been in the district for 12 years and it’s a great district.”  Board President Linda Storli said Vierra has been able to “stretch more” as the interim head of the district after spending multiple years as the second-in-charge.  “It’s kind of like being vice president: You don’t know what you have when there’s someone above you,” Storli said in phone interview on Friday. “Once he got to interim superintendent, he was able to stretch more. Now we’ve seen him actually running the district, he’s really taken flight.”  The role of assistant superintendent of educational services will be filled in the near future. It was left vacant in June when Vierra was announced as the interim superintendent following the announcement that Mike Kuhlman would be leaving his role as superintendent.  The search process was led by Leadership Associates, an executive search firm that specializes in helping educational organizations select leaders.  Storli said her instinct of being frugal made her wary of spending nearly $30,000 on the process, but the search team did a good job of moving things along and gathering the necessary data for the board to make a decision.  “I was thinking, ‘Do we really need to do this?’ and I’m glad we did,” Storli said. “They collected all the data from students, parents and community members and did a good job of combing through applicants and narrowing it down.”  One of the deciding factors for Storli was that Vierra knows the district and, as interim head of the district, the role.  Fellow board member Bob Jensen agreed, saying Vierra not only showed he can perform in the role, but also that he is doing so as a local resident.  “He lives locally here in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Jensen said in a phone interview on Friday. “His kids have gone to the Hart district. He’s got a good feel for the community, he understands the culture and is a big part of it because he’s been around for so many years.”  Board member Erin Wilson added: “He has a great combination of confidence to take on a challenge and humility to listen to the suggestions and opinions and ideas of those in the community. I think that’s one of the things that has helped him rise to the top.”  Some of the things that Vierra has already started emphasizing that Messina is hoping to continue are increasing test scores, being more collaborative and building more of a consensus on student safety. Transparency and communication, both internally and externally, were also noted by Vierra as things that can be improved to help students and staff feel supported.  Storli said she hopes that Vierra can find ways to keep Santa Clarita Valley kids in the Hart district. A consulting firm was recently contracted to develop a marketing strategy that is meant to do just that.  The district reported that there were 194 fewer students enrolled as of its census day in October compared to last year, though the projection was that there would be a drop of 400 students.  “I sent my kids to public school, which offers, in most cases, the best education for kids,” Storli said. “We need to bring them back into the fold.”  Vierra acknowledged that, as well as the other things mentioned that the district can improve on. He said working in the role while also going through the application process actually helped him to better understand what he needed to do.  “There was a lot going on,” Vierra said. “But it was actually really good because it makes you reflect on your vision … It helps clarify in your mind the way you want to do things.”  In the Hart district’s release on Friday announcing Vierra as the new permanent superintendent, district officials thanked all involved for helping to provide input throughout the process.  “Your valuable input was used to guide the selection process leading to the nomination of Dr. Vierra, who is committed to continue fostering a collaborative, transparent, and innovative educational environment that supports the diverse needs of all students and the tradition of excellence in the Hart district,” the release states.   The board is expected to formally offer and approve Vierra’s contract at the next regular board meeting on Dec. 11.  The post Vierra to remain as permanent head of Hart district  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.