Supt. Zimring to Head NorCal Private School

Superindent Donald Zimring has accepted a job offer to serve as the head of school at Brandeis Hillel Day School, a private Jewish school in the Bay Area.

The Las Virgenes Unified Board of Education voted late last year , which expires in August.

Board members and Zimring, a Westlake Village resident, said the decision was in the works for some time and was mutual.

An announcement on Brandeis Hillel's website stated why he was the right man for the job.

"Dr. Zimring’s strong educational and administrative experience, leadership skills, optimism, enthusiasm, commitment to Jewish life, and sense of Jewish community and ruach (roughly, 'spirit' or 'soul') make him the ideal candidate to lead our school at this time of great opportunity and growth,” said Daniel Grossman, president of the private school's board of rustees.

Zimring, 61, said he planned on continuing his career in education after leaving LVUSD and that he was sought by Brandeis Hillel. In an email he shared with the Acorn, he explained why moving up north would be the right move.

"Due to their unique organizational structure (they are one of only a handful of multi-campus independent schools in the nation), they were seeking someone with my skill set and background which is not readily found in the typical independent school environment," he wrote. "They also wanted someone who had a vision of 21st century learning but concurrently had a deep connection with Judaism."

Zimring spent more than 35 years working for LVUSD in various capacities and was promoted to superintendent in 2007. He also expressed his disappointment with the current state of public schools.

"One of the greatest challenges and disappointments in public education today is the lack of resources to do what we know is needed to support kids and help them achieve to their maximum potential," he wrote. "Brandeis Hillel is in a position of growth and expansion and sought me out to help them build program and curriculum to support their students in 21st century learning while at the same time holding true to their core tenets of integrity, kindness and service to others."

Brandeis Hillel has campuses in San Francisco and Marin County with an enrollment of about 580 students in grades K-8. Zimring said he will move up north with his wife in August. He said he is both excited and nervous about the transition.

"Excited as this is a remarkable opportunity that will enable me to make a positive difference in the lives of hundreds of students as well as be an adventure for both me and my wife," he wrote. "Nervous as we will be leaving an area that has been our home for nearly 40 years!"

During his remaining tenure with LVUSD, Zimring said he would help provide support during the transition of his successor, which has yet to be named.

He also said he would miss LVUSD, especially playing a role in the completion of the new performing arts centers at Calabasas High School and Agoura High School.

"LVUSD has been my life's work," he wrote. "I am incredibly proud of what I have been part of and what has been accomplished during my work here."