Douglas County School board selects new superintendent for third time

The Douglas County School Board selected Angelo “Frankie” Alvarado, a Ukiah, Calif. district administrator, as their next superintendent.

This is the third selection for a superintendent, the first of which was John Ramirez Jr., also of California, who had a history of DUI, sexual harassment, hit and run, mismanagement of district funds, and more.

The second was currently serving interim superintendent Jeanne Dwyer, who was offered the position in a breach of open meeting law. When it was brought back, the board majority changed its mind and walked back the offer.

Alvarado currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Ukiah Unified School District, which he has held for one year. Prior to this he served for four years as a Middle School Principal, Director of HR, and Elementary School Principal for the Mammoth Unified School District; an Assistant Principal within the Ontario Montclair School District for two years; and a Coordinator of Special Education with the Sequoia Union High School District for 11 months.

The choice was a contentious one, having been selected over Dwyer, and Douglas High graduate / Silver Stage High School Principal Patrick Peters, who has been in the position for 19 years. In total, he has worked in education in Nevada for thirty years, all within the Lyon County School District.

The third finalist, Louise Simson, withdrew her application after she received a job offer at another district.

The previous Superintendent Keith Lewis resigned November 2023, after a failed attempt to fire him, due to continued issues with the board.

Trustee Yvonne Wagstaff continued to advocate for the hiring of Dwyer, stating she is the “best option” and has been doing a “heck of a great job.”

Wagstaff also said she believes the board needs to hire someone who actually has superintendent experience especially considering the “climate of the school board and the divisiveness” that continues to be an issue between the board's majority and minority trustees.

Peters has often been vocal in his issues with the board during public comment, but the board minority of Wagstaff, Carey Kangas and Linda Gilkerson were in support of him given his long tenure in Nevada education.

Wagstaff pointed out that in comparison, Alvarado had moved across a number of California school districts to climb the ranks which she believes does not show commitment.

A number of public commenters were also in support of Peters, citing his long work in education and his volunteerism within the community.

Trustees David Burns, Katherine Dickerson, Susan Jansen and Doug Englekirk however said they wanted to bring in a “fresh face” that did not have previous ties to the district.

The public commenters in favor of Alvarado echoed this sentiment, stating he would be a neutral party among the divided board.

The Interview

Jansen’s first question was regarding a proposed policy keeping trans students out of school sports referencing a current case in the 9th circuit court originating from Arizona.

Alvarado said that because the case has not gone through the 9th circuit courts yet, he would advise against attempting to initiate any policy that would incur even more legal fees. “If we can wait and see, make decisions that are grounded in law, that would be the most beneficial pathway for the district.”

Englekirk asked what Alvarado’s opinion was on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) appearing to be in conflict with a “meritocracy.”

Alvarado said they are two different ideologies and he would first need a “listen and learn” to figure out what the board’s philosophy and directions are. “These are two different things, so I don’t necessarily think you could say they are in conflict.” He said, however, it’s always important to have staff that represents the demographics of the district’s students.

Kangas asked what Alvarado thought was the most significant challenge facing the school district and if he had a plan to address it.

Alvarado said the biggest challenge is staff shortages. “We need to have highly qualified teachers and highly qualified staff to serve kids. So we need to have a strong plan to track, hire and retain employees on all sides of the house. We need to find out what the root causes are — if we see a lot of people leaving, we need to do exit surveys to figure out why they don’t want to be here in Douglas County, then putting in systems and structures that address the systemic issues.”

Alvarado said they also need to address chronic absenteeism and they need to figure out how to get students in seats or enroll them in an online program so they have access to education. Alvarado said there needs to be a system in place at every school site to make sure that every school absence results in a phone call home, and if students miss more than ten days, then a meeting needs to happen with the student and parents.

Alvarado said looking at the data shows that bullying issues are high, which could be a root cause of absenteeism.

He said finally, a major issue is declining enrollment and with declining enrollment comes tightening staff. “I’d have to work with the board on that for what their overarching plan for the future is, and looking at birth rates to develop a birth rate formula to determine how many kids are going to be coming into the district. Then you can plan appropriately for 5-7 years ahead.”

He said they also need to look into development, and what kind of housing is being built, and if those developments are attracting families with school-aged children.

Kangas also asked if Alvarado would agree to knowingly break the law or discriminate against anyone in the district if asked to by the board.

"No," Alvarado said. "I think that's the easiest question I'll get tonight. I believe in upholding people's rights, and treating them with dignity."

Dickerson asked if it was his job to put forth the will of the board, or the public “and others.”

Alvarado said he takes direction from the board: “The board determines what we’re going to work on, and the superintendent determines how we’re going to do that. And I do that by leading and managing a cabinet level team.”

Alvarado said he would expect the board to “consider, listen and learn from the voices within the district” and put forth what the constituents want, which would then be shared with the superintendent.

Dickerson asked if the majority of the board puts forth something that Alvarado doesn’t agree with, would he still “put forth the will of the board.”

“I don’t carry a personal agenda with me,” Alvarado said.

Wagstaff asked what makes him believe he is qualified to become the next superintendent since he doesn’t have superintendent experience, and given the “current climate of the school district.”

Alvarado said he has been working towards this position since he was in high school. He said all of his changes in districts have been strategic so he could rise through the ranks to become a superintendent. He said he has achieved great gains in academic achievement and reducing behavioral issues at all of the districts he’s worked for. He went through all of the experience he had throughout his districts and the achievements he made.

Gilkerson asked what his leadership style is, and asked for an example of when it failed and when it was successful.

Alvarado said he is “not a top-down leader,” and believes in making shared decisions, even if it takes longer. He said an example of a failure is not making progress within a specific time frame due to the length of time it takes to make decisions communally.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing, however, I believe in participatory management and I’m a servant leader. I’m here to serve staff and to provide support.”

He said he also wants to provide surveys because "every voice in Douglas County matters," especially with the issues the district is facing with its division.

Alvarado’s full interview can be viewed here.

Alvarado will return before the board during its July 9 meeting with a contract.