The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) Board of Education has selected two Co-Interim Superintendents to lead the District while the search for a permanent Superintendent is carried out over the next few months.

Alan Rasmussen, Ed.D. and Richard V. Tauer were selected from among multiple candidates and will share the Interim Superintendent position throughout the duration of the search period.

Rasmussen has more than 40 years of experience in K-12 education, including 13 years as a Superintendent. In addition, he has been an Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Educational Services, an elementary and middle school principal, and a classroom teacher.

Tauer also has more than 40 years of experience in K-12 education, including three years as Superintendent. Prior to becoming an educational consultant in 2014, Tauer was Superintendent of the Westminster School District, where he provided the leadership necessary to successfully navigate the district through the most challenging of fiscal times, while making significant progress in student achievement.

Both Rasmussen and Tauer, who are local residents, are excited to serve as Co-Interim Superintendents and look forward to meeting the SAUSD community and facilitating a smooth transition period.

They will ensure consistency in District leadership by providing continuous support to SAUSD staff and Cabinet members during the Superintendent search, and communicating with the Board of Education to ensure that its directives are carried out in a timely manner.

Rasmussen and Tauer developed Education Support Services Group (ESS), which provides a comprehensive menu of services for governing boards, superintendents, senior management teams, school districts and community colleges.

The SAUSD Board of Education has also selected ESS from among multiple firms to conduct the search for the next SAUSD Superintendent.

In the coming weeks, ESS will hold numerous meetings with SAUSD stakeholder groups and will conduct a community survey in multiple languages to gain valuable insight about what the community would like to see in the next Superintendent.

ESS will use the critical feedback to help guide their search for the next SAUSD Superintendent.