EDUCATION | Hayward Superintendent Donald Evans was confirmed as Berkeley’s new school superintendent Wednesday and will start his new job July 1 after spending just 18 months at the helm in Hayward.
Evans would not clarify why he was leaving Hayward after spending such a short while with the district but said he is “very excited” about going to Berkeley.
“This a better fit for me,” said Evans who spoke well of Berkeley’s diversity and being “very collective.” Evans said the Hayward community has been “good to him” but wouldn’t state why he is leaving Hayward. “I’m not going to answer that,” he said with a nervous laugh.
Sources, however, have elaborated further on Evans’ departure citing the district’s problems being too difficult for him to handle and the board’s past drama, such as the Jesus Armas/Maribel Heredia sex scandal, having created an intimidating environment for Evans.
Evans formerly served as an associate superintendent in Compton, Calif. and oversaw Oakland’s elementary schools. Evans was originally named Hayward’s superintendent in November 2011 with high expectations.
Although, some inside sources in the past few months, who wish to not be named, said Evans was a “disappointment,” and are glad to see him move on. One source though spoke well of Evans but believes he is leaving because of a new board that is more aggressive towards its goals rather than what she said should be more “collaborative.”
In the past month, Evans presided over two town halls concerning his vision for Hayward, but neither of those town halls offered a distinct vision for Hayward outside of a few summer academies to help improve student literacy and math skills. Although there has been a slight uptick in the district’s API scores the district still rates the worse in the county.
Berkeley’s choice of Evans comes after the retirement of former Superintendent Bill Huyett in August 2012. The district then failed to name a permanent replacement on two occasions until finally settling on Evans.
ebcitizen.com 
This Donal Evans sup has go tot be the worst administrator I have ever seen, very weak and always absent. Anywhere. School in Berkeley you are useless.
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On Feb. 1, the Voice of San Diego published an alarming interview with new SDUSD CFO Stan Dobbs. In the interview, Dobbs falsely claimed that the average District teachers makes $92,000 before benefits, that class size has no impact on student learning, and that teachers are going to need to give up our healthcare to keep the District afloat. Not only did Dobbs play fast and loose with the facts, but his tone was clearly hostile and demeaning towards teachers and the work we do. He is in no way qualified to be the honest and objective financial servant our schools need. Both Superintendent Bill Kowba and School Board President John Lee Evans have already apologized for the misinformation in this interview. But Dobbs hasn't. We call on Dobbs to immediately apologize to the public for spreading misinformation that will damage our schools. We call on Dobbs and Kowba to ask the Voice of San Diego to accurately reports teacher pay, and explain the type of unique qualified employees who make up the education work force.
LINK: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dumpdatadobbs/
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Is all true
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The HUSD district pays for salary of the teachers union president Mercedes Faraj so I am told. Can any one please tell me if that is true? Maybe it is true they are all on the take as mentioned above.
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I can remember when a Supt. was required to live within district boundries. Joel Thornelly had to move into Hayward when he became Supt. back in 1983.
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Teachers union, and administrators are all on the take.
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HUSD has at least 8 and probably more schools that if 51% of the parents sign a petition can be converted into another type of school including a charter school. Some of these schools include Harder, Park, and Tennyson High. I suspect it would only take one, possibly two conversions to get all the folks who work for the district awake and on the same page to educate Hayward students. If not…
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Did your church also note Dr Evans is getting a $300,000 loan from the district to buy a home in Berkeley? He lives in Oakland now.
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Evans leaving has nothing to do with board and all about his incompetence. I wonder what Oakland and Compton would have to say about this? Why wasn't he superintendent in Compton or Oakland? He is not a hard worker. I stay at work linger than him. His parking space was constantly empty.
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CARPETBAGGERS.
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School districts in California do not need superintendents, these superintendents they are all the same. They are just overpaid unprofessional school principals that are always looking else where to get paid even more as soon as they are hired by any district.
It is true Evans was gone many times on conferences and who knows what as they say up there, and very hard to find as my church never could find him.
The board or staff has nothing to do with the performance of a bad superintendent. Bad sup is a bad sup.
My church just found out he will be getting paid almost 300K per year at Berkeley. Wow and that is for only 8000 students. Here in Hayward we have almost 20,000 and he was getting paid 220K, so … go figure…
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Time for a clean sweep and a new board.
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HE got tired of working with a Board that has no class
or experience
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Now that the board has to create another search for a superintendent, why not just go to “Toys R Us” and buy a puppet, since they want to control the strings and they will still have a dummy they can manipulate.
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11:46 Dr.Evans was weak from the start nothing could save a weak sup. He was gone about 40% of the time doing who knows what. The staff and the board never knew where he was. He should have been fired in the first 6 months. Berkeley look for a repeat. Once a a loser always a loser.
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Dr. Evans saw the writing on the wall, entrenched bureaucrats, entrenched teachers, entrenched maintenance and operations staff, school kitchen profit centers giving second hand food to the students. Take a look around, capital investment in the school plants in San Lorenzo and San Leandro, and the only paint you will see at a school in Hayward is to cover up graffiti. The most significant personnel moves Dr. Evans attempted were thrown back in his face by the board. We will never know what kind of job he could have done, because he was not allowed to do his job. It's the same old story, same old song and dance, my friend. There are many dedicated hard working teachers, coaches, administrators, staff and students who are accomplishing great things. Great students heading off to change their lives and perhaps their community. Dolores Vargas, class of 2013 has a full ride academic scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, Jalen Williams is being courted by Harvard to play football, and would you believe they go to Tennyson High. Great things can be accomplished if we can all work together. I teach great kids, and I am proud that I am a teacher in Hayward.
Go Lancers
Hugh Lenahan
Social Studies Teacher
Athletic Director
Tennyson High School
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Wonder where the board should search next? The snake pit, the cess pool, or the bottom of the ocean and scrape it for whale dung. They may be able to retrieve a figure head off another ship that has gone down.
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Superintendent= a figure head on a sinking ship, making a lot of money and benefits, reaps the gratuities and leaves = carpetbaggers.
Stop,look and listen. Look what we gave to Joan Kohl, and her cronies.
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evans = weak
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12:38. well said.
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Article on Superintendent pay
http://www.foxbusiness.com/government/2013/03/19/superintendent-pay-at-top-class/
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I agree. Do we really need a superintendent?
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Let's not hire a new superintendent. Let's bring in a community organizer who will help us learn how to be citizens so we can take back our schools, money and all.
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12:38 I might be a current administrator, past administrator, current director, past director an, area adminstrator. What's my scandal? Let's look for the truth about the corruption and stealing that is going in the district. Bitter is something I am not disgusted at the blatant disregard for what's right. 12:38 you are a True politician avoid the issue, and write the messenger off as bitter.
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Evans praising Berkeley's “diversity?” Hayward is the most diverse community in the entire Bay Area! Loser!
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@9:40am. You sound like a bitter ex-employee of HUSD. What's your scandal?
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Buh bye Evans.
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What the hell is really going on! Now a new superintendent is coming in? Who's leading/ robbing the district now? Who in the hell does Wu Fernandez and Benson know in high places. They keep getting a pass for their corruption. Now how many superintendents have come and gone? The grand jury is way to slow. Hopefully the DA will finally get wise or grow a pair and arrest the likes of Kathryn Benson, Chien Wu Fernandez. Ursala Reed couldn't keep a job either? Billy Martin, fat cat crook, and his cronies getting paid, Revolving door? Corruption. Utter disgust for the incompetence in Hayward Unified. Evan who did you know to get out so quickly.
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Mr Wimp goes to Berkeley.
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