Statement of Qualifications

Walt L. Hanline, Ed.D.

I served as a public school superintendent for over 25 years, in districts ranging from 170 to 12,000 students, and retired in July of 2010 (at age 59) as Superintendent of Ceres Unified School District. I was recognized by the Association of California School Administrators as the 1995 California Superintendent/Principal of the Year and in 2007 as the California Superintendent of the Year. I am an Adjunct/Affiliate Professor at California State University, Stanislaus, teaching Educational Policy at the Doctoral level and Human Resources, School Law, and School Finance at the Masters level. I have also presented a wide range of workshops for Board members, administrators, and teachers. Utilizing a business sector model, I have had the privilege to facilitate the successful development and implementation of strategic plans in school districts and counties throughout California, Oregon and in Washington State. Additionally, I have enjoyed working with school boards throughout California in developing Board Governance Protocols and in team building. I believe I have a gift in recruiting and developing educational leaders. My staff members were recognized with a wide range of regional and state-wide awards, including Negotiator of the Year, Curriculum and Instruction Administrator of the Year, and Business Services Administrator of the Year. As a public school superintendent, I have had the pleasure to work with teachers and instructional leaders in presenting outstanding educational programs to the students we served. Over my last four years of service in Ceres Unified, the 17 schools within the District had an average State Similar School Ranking of 8.225, with 10 being the highest ranking possible. In 2010, the ranking was 8.9, with no school below the level of 7. Both of my high schools had a Similar Schools Ranking of 10 and they were recognized in January 2009, by U.S. News and World Report, as one of Americas Best High Schools (Bronze Medal Winners). I am considered a state leader in the area of school construction, having managed over $500 million in new construction, modernization, asbestos removal, and deferred maintenance programs, including the successful passage of two local school bonds, one in 2001 and the other in November 2008, in the midst of the national and state fiscal crisis. Beyond the renovation projects in virtually all of my schools, we built 6 elementary schools, a junior high, and a high school. Having inherited two school districts that were in deficit spending, I know firsthand the importance of properly managing the limited financial resources available to a school district. The critical component required for sound financial planning is proactive and visionary leadership, blended with a commitment that school and department based decision making and accountability are the means to the highest level of financial efficiency. By all accounts, I left Ceres Unified in a sound fiscal condition, recognizing the fiscal challenges related to the depression faced by school districts.

My years of experience have reinforced my belief that to truly be able to address the many challenges associated with schools, the superintendent and board must expect the very best from all staff members, while at the same time building trusting and mutually supportive relations between teachers, classified staff, administrators and the Board. The involvement and positive support of the community are essential for the long-term success of a school district. With this philosophy in mind, we had the opportunity to work with community groups and the media in a wide variety of areas. While serving in Del Norte County Unified and Ceres Unified, we restructured the organizations to provide for educational options to parents, including home school and site-based charter schools and also in expanding grant funded programs, including 21st Century Afterschool Programs to serve parents and students. In Ceres Unified, between July 2001 and July 2009, this commitment to grant development brought over $30 million in grants to serve the students and teachers of the district. We developed a wide range of active collaboratives, including partnerships with the City of Ceres, College of the Redwoods, Rural Human Services, the Chamber of Commerce, Yurok and Tollowa Tribal Councils, California State University at Chico and at Stanislaus, State and National Parks, to name just a few. I believe that my greatest asset, in serving a school district, is my experience and training in supporting school board members, as they represent the community that elected them. I strongly believe in the policy-making and vision setting role of the board of trustees, and in the responsibility of the staff to implement the policies and vision of the board. My experience in the private and public sectors, and my educational preparation and experience in creating innovative solutions to problems, are strengths that I will bring to school districts interested in my services.