District names interim chief

Lauren Vane

Just one week after Ocean View School District Supt. Jim Tarwater

resigned, the board of trustees has appointed current Asst. Supt. of

Curriculum and Instruction Karen Colby as interim district

superintendent.

With the school district involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit

and a school board trustee facing a possible recall, Colby, a 34-year

district veteran, said she is equipped with the skills to bring calm

to the Ocean View School District.

“It’s a challenge for me, but I always step up to the plate and

it’s something I think I’ll be able to handle,” Colby said.

The board unanimously voted to appoint Colby behind closed doors

at a special meeting March 24. Colby will assume her new role June 20

after Tarwater bows out to begin a new job in Northern California.

Tarwater, who is leaving Huntington Beach for a superintendent

position in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, said he stands

behind the board’s decision to appoint Colby.

“People have anxiety at a change of leadership and I think this

[decision] calmed everybody down,” Tarwater said.

Colby, 58, has a history of maintaining strong relationships with

all district employees, from classified to administrative, Tarwater

said.

“She knows everybody in the district and everybody knows Karen,”

said board President Sharon Holland. “She’s very highly respected.”

Colby began her career in the school district in 1971, when she

worked as a teacher at Haven View School. Colby moved on to work as a

“Gifted and Talented Education” teacher at Marine View Middle School,

simultaneously coordinating the district’s GATE program. In 1990,

Colby was promoted to director of curriculum and instruction, and in

1999, she was hired as assistant superintendent of curriculum and

instruction.

Golden View Elementary School Principal Karan Spane has worked

with Colby for many years. She said Colby has the necessary

background to lead the district.

“She’s knowledgeable, she’s a problem solver, she really sees the

big picture,” Spane said.

Problem-solving may indeed come in handy as Colby faces the

troubles plaguing the district. Just weeks ago, Harbour View School

Principal Roni Ellis filed a complaint in Superior Court against the

school board and individually against Tarwater and trustee Barbara

Boskovich, alleging defamation and harassment.

In early May, the Orange County registrar’s office approved the

language of a petition launched by district parents to recall

Boskovich. Both the complaint and the recall motion refer to a rumor

that Boskovich allegedly spread about Ellis.

Colby is fully aware of the issues at hand and she said her first

priority is to restore communication among the district office,

administrators and board members.

“I think people don’t know what’s going on and that’s when rumors

start,” Colby said. “My promise would be to keep everyone up on

what’s going on.”

Tarwater said he is confident Colby has what it takes to bring the

school district back together.

“Her biggest strength is being able to rebuild the trust,”

Tarwater said.

“I hope that I have the skills and the ability to bring our board

together,” Colby said.

The search for a permanent superintendent hasn’t yet begun but

Holland said she anticipates the board will start the process soon.

* LAUREN VANE covers education and crime. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4610 or [email protected].