New Superintendent Takes the Helm at SCUSD
By Alessio Cei
Santa Clara Unified School District underwent a changing of the guard on July 1st, as Interim Superintendent Rod Adams retired and Assistant Superintendent Steve Stavis took over the top job of Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Stavis was selected in February after an internal search by the school board. Stavis intends to hew closely to the course set by his predecessor. “Rod [Adams] and I were not only colleagues but also friends,” says Stavis. “I have two focuses during my tenure: First, the students and their relationship to staff; second, it is essential to maintain an outstanding relationship with our employees.” Stavis has some experience with the duties of a Superintendent, having previously served as Union School District’s interim Superintendent.
Though he has held the post for barely two months, Stavis already has wrapped up at least one major issue, winning the teachers’ union’s approval for a compromise raise of 4.5% in teachers’ salaries and benefits. The raise, which is retroactive to last year, helped absorb the rising cost of medical care. “It’s a good agreement. A classic-win-win,” says Stavis. “And we begin the year with labor peace.” Medical benefits for teachers are one of the many issues on Stavis’ plate. “When I was a teacher, it didn’t cost me a dime for medical care,” says Stavis.
When it comes to the educational end of a Superintendent’s duties, “math is at the forefront for a variety of reasons,” says Stavis. The state has revised its educational standards to require that all 8th graders take Algebra I. “K-7 will have to change [their curriculum] if 8th grade does,” says Stavis. The new standards result in part from international pressure, and a series of studies that find U.S. students are often behind their European and Asian counterparts in math and sciences. The tougher curriculum, however, may clash with the need to reduce class sizes in middle school. Although SCUSD maintains low student-teacher ratios for primary and high schools, middle schools often experience a 30:1 ratio or worse. In order to reduce class size and intensify the curriculum simultaneously, “the state is going to have to give something,” says Stavis.
Still, the dilemmas of the job don’t faze Stavis, who brings an unusual tenacity to public service. When initially hired as the principal of Bowers Elementary, Stavis was asked what he would do to get ready for the job. “I told them I would run down every street in the neighborhood,” says Stavis. “And I did. I saw the houses these kids lived in…it really helped me get to know the neighborhood.”
Many years and several career changes later, Stavis is still an avid runner. “I love to run trails. I do a lot of my thinking out there. Runner’s high is a real thing.” On the wall of his office hang pictures of the marathon he ran with two of his five children, along with a homemade quilt Cabrillo Middle School’s staff gave him as a parting gift when he joined the district administration. Since then, his dedication to the district has only grown, if possible.
“There are about 1,100 school districts in the state, but I defy anyone to find a better keynote speaker than we had at Teacher Orientation Day,” says Stavis. The speech was given by Santa Clara High School student Ronimarie Maslyar, recently adopted by a Santa Clara High teacher, who singled out Stavis, among others, as the adults who helped her survive a tremendously difficult childhood. “Because you chose to serve in the field of education, my life’s trajectory has forever changed,” Maslyar told the assembled staff. Stavis aims to change many more trajectories before his tenure as Superintendent is over.
