NEWS RELEASE

Lake Elsinore Unified School District Contact: Mark Dennis PH 951.253.7174 E-mail: mark.dennis@leusd.k12.ca.us Release No. 12-3 February 9, 2012

Dr. Frank W. Passarella is retiring after 42 years in education

LEUSD Superintendent Announces June Retirement

LAKE ELSINOREDr. Frank W. Passarella, district Superintendent of Schools for over six years, will retire at the end of the current school year, but not before a replacement is found, he announced Thursday. It is with a great deal of admiration and respect for our Governing Board, administrative team, teachers, classified employees, parents, and especially our 22,000 students, that I announce my retirement this evening, said Dr. Passarella in a statement at the start of the regular meeting of the Governing Board under the agenda heading, Board/Superintendent/Cabinet Comments, Direction and Updates. The decision to retire was 100% my decision, said Passarella, and I will cherish the 42 years I have spent as a classified custodian, elementary and secondary teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent, and district superintendent. Members of Governing Board and Senior Cabinet were informed earlier of Dr. Passarellas plan to stay on until the end of the school year to assist with the transition. The Board of Trustees extends our best wishes for Dr. Passarellas well deserved retirement, said Board President Susan E. Scott. We would like to express our appreciation for his leadership for the past six years and know that the future success of Lake Elsinore Unified School District will be predicated based on the foundation he set during his tenure. The Board is confident that Lake Elsinore Unified School District will continue to achieve great milestones working collaboratively with all our stakeholders. Tom Thomas, who has served on the Governing Board since Dr. Passarella first joined the district said, Under Dr. Passarella's leadership, this school district has made unprecedented academic gains and assembled the very finest management, teachers, and support staff team. He has willingly tackled the toughest issues, been a strong community leader, and has always put students first in the daily decision-making process. Frank Passarella may well be the most courageous, forward thinking, and caring Superintendent in the history of this school district. He will leave us in June with many completed goals and a clear road map for the future. An executive search firm could be selected and retained at a special meeting of the Governing Board later this month. Seating a new superintendent before June is the recruitment goal.

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SUPERINTENDENT FRANK W. PASSARELLA, ED.D, RETIREMENT ANNOUNCED LEUSD Release No.12-3.

PAGE 2 OF 2 February 9, 2012

Citing the outstanding performance of all district employees, Dr. Passarella said great things for LEUSDs K-12 students will continue to happen despite these challenging times. Dr. Passarella started with LEUSD on January 9, 2006. Under his leadership, LEUSD has risen to the third highest performing K-12 school district out of 23 in Riverside County, and last April, the district was recognized by The Education Trust West (a non-profit research organization) as the #1 improving school district out of 146 California public schools studied. LEUSD schools stand out! Over the past six years, two elementary schools have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Award schools, 13 as California Distinguished Schools, four as Title 1 Academic Achievement Schools, and one as a Model Continuation School. Recently, 19 of 22 district campuses were recognized by the California Department of Education with a similar school ranking of 10, which is the highest mark a public school can earn. Two campuses were at 9 and one earned a mark of 8. In 2011, district innovations and academic growth milestones included launching the Southern California Online Academy, an online K-12 school; starting a dual immersion program at Railroad Canyon Elementary; and certification of Temescal Canyon High School as the districts first and only International Baccalaureate World School offering the IB Diploma Programme. Lakeside High School became the districts second AVID National Demonstration School, joining Elsinore High School in this honor. For the second year in a row, Tuscany Hills Elementary was the #1 top performing school in Riverside County. A biographical summary for Dr. Frank W. Passarella is attached. ####
The Lake Elsinore Unified School District covers more than 144 square miles and educates K-12 students from the cities of Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake and Wildomar, and several unincorporated Riverside County communities, including Lakeland Village and Horsethief Canyon. The district serves nearly 22,000 students and operates 25 different schools, along with alternative education programs, and an online K12 academy. LEUSD offers the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Temescal Canyon High School, a newly certified IB World School. LEUSD is among the top three performing districts in Riverside County, according to Californias Academic Performance Index for 2011.

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