SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO—Capistrano Unified School District Trustees on Wednesday afternoon named Kevin E. Astor, Ed.D. as principal of Capistrano Valley High School (CVHS).
“We are excited to have Kevin join the administrative team,” Superintendent Joe Farley said. “His commitment to academic excellence and a well-rounded school culture will ensure the continued success of each and every student at Capistrano Valley High School.”
Astor replaces interim principal Cheryl Baughn, a retired administrator who filled the position when Deni Christensen became Executive Director of Secondary Education.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” Astor said. “Every step of the process kept confirming that this was a great chance for me to be a part of what is happening in Capistrano Unified. The District has a long history of success. Now it is taking another step forward and growing in a dynamic way. I want to be a part of that process to meet the needs of our students.”
CVHS, home to one of the District’s two high school International Baccalaureate programs, was recently ranked No. 459 in the annual list of America’s Best High Schools by Newsweek magazine. The school can also boast one of the state’s top marching bands, with four state titles since 2002, a six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and a highly respected athletic program.
Astor began his career teaching Spanish at the middle school level in 1993. He became an assistant principal in 1999 and a principal in 2006. Astor has bachelor’s degrees in Hispanic Language and Literature and Modern Foreign Language Education from Boston University, a master’s degree in Education Administration from United States International University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.
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The district didn't announce his previous campus, but Astor was principal at a middle school in Anaheim Union, the district where Superintendent Joe Farley worked before moving to Capistrano Unified, and where the new prinicpal for Dana Hills was found ...
Some people are going to make a fuss about Farley bringing people from AUHSD, and of course that's their right. But think about this: in the past few years a lot of our principals and APs have left for other districts. Some because of pay issues, some because they weren't promoted internally, and other reasons.
So before anyone gets upset about the outside hiring, think about whether our own "bench" was depleted in recent years.
Posted by: A friend | July 14, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Why did the district postpone the appointment until now? Was he the same candidate they planned to reccomend for hire a few months ago when the board approved the Dana guy?
Posted by: Wondering | July 14, 2011 at 04:59 PM
I don't care that he came from Anaheim- at least Farley knows him- I do care that he came from a middle school with less than 1000 students and less than stellar API scores and certainly no IB standards or AP standards...and not a whole lot of experience. I would hate to see CVHS slip backwards. Why wouldn't they have just promoted one of the AP's?
Posted by: wondering too | July 14, 2011 at 07:54 PM
The appointment of a principal at any high school in CUSD is not an easy task. The current procedure that is followed is quite elaborate. At CVHS, the first step was to meet with Dr. Farley about what leadership qualities teachers and classified staff would find important in a new principal. Using the feedback from the CVHS staff focus group, all prospective principals were interviewed with a panel that included at least one CVHS parent, one CVHS teacher, one classified staff person, and district personnel. The applicants also had to complete a variety of on-demand writing prompts that addressed issues that they could face as a principal. After evaluating everything, the final decision was made that Dr. Aston was the best fit for CVHS.
FYI all AP’s must go through the same process if they are interested in any open position. The “automatic” promotion of AP’s is no longer the norm. I hope this helps clarify.
Posted by: Mom | July 14, 2011 at 08:35 PM
Very interesting how they didn't mention that he came from Anaheim.
Sounds like Farley wants "Yes Men" and that is why he is surrounding himself with Anaheim personnel.
I would at least expect someone with a bit of high school experience but that may be asking too much of the CUSD
Posted by: Don't we all wish | July 14, 2011 at 11:25 PM
Applicants come and apply and they have to go through a process, Farley doesn't BRING anyone over. It shows that the people who worked for Farley liked working for him enough that they want to work for him again.
Just as another commenter mentioned, every single applicant goes through interviews, etc. Farley doesn't even sit on those committees until the very end. So anyone who applies has to make it through a rigorous process to even get to the final decision.
It also shows that we are attracting talent outside our district which means people WANT to work here, that's a GOOD thing people.
Posted by: Capo Parent Too | July 15, 2011 at 07:07 AM
And by the way, I wouldn't say two principals out of 4,000 employees is "surrounding" himself.
When you promote someone, they are moving up. Carter moved from a Middle School to a High School, this is the same with this appointment, no different. They are probably both looking for something different, High Schools offer different challenges and are a step up in a career for an administrator.
Posted by: Capo Parent Too | July 15, 2011 at 07:10 AM
Little different with Carter- he will just be matriculating to high school with his parents and his communit. Dr. Astor will be coming from a completely different demographics, goals and politics.
Posted by: wondering too | July 15, 2011 at 08:19 AM
It doesn't mean that he hasn't been principal of a high school or doesn't have high school administrative experience because his last appointment was a middle school. There are too many uncertainties here to jump to conclusions. Also, from my experience, a solid administrator is a solid administrator whether they are at an elementary school, middle school, or high school.
Posted by: Rhetorick | July 15, 2011 at 08:57 AM
His youth, and the fact that he has been in a tough school the last few years might be a blessing to CVHS in helping the struggling students. He obviously had what it took to climb fast himself, maybe he can lead by example. I am curious to hear about his schooling in United States International University...isn't that in Africa? Does it have any ties to IB?
Posted by: wondering too | July 15, 2011 at 09:09 AM