Sanger Unified schools hire new superintendent. Board says he’s a ‘proven leader’
Three of Fresno County’s largest school districts will have a new superintendent following the hiring this week of Sanger Unified’s next leader.
The Sanger Unified School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved Dennis Wiechmann as the school system’s next superintendent in the midst of more than a dozen colleagues and family members there to support the decision,
“It took seven board members 10 hours in a small room to come to (a) conclusion,” Trustee Brandon Vang said about the mid-April closed session decision to pick Wiechmann. Wiechmann’s hire was pending Tuesday’s board approval. “We heard various opinions and views.”
Wiechmann was “the correct choice,” Vang said.
Wiechmann, the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources, will replace Superintendent Adela Jones once she retires in June.
While some teachers and employees opposed his hiring, others who’ve worked alongside Wiechmann describe him as “a natural leader and well respected among his peers.”
“Sanger Unified has got themselves a proven leader,”Joe Brucia told the Bee’s Education Lab via email.
Brucia and Wiechmann have had roles with the nonprofit organization California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance over the last two decades.
Wiechmann has been with the district for 24 years.
“Dr. Wiechmann is a strong, collaborative and proven leader who values all stakeholders,” Board President Ismael “Mike”Hernandez said in a media release when the district first announced its plans to hire Wiechmann.
Who is Dennis Wiechmann?
Shaped by the fact that he was raised by a single mom, then raised his own two sons as a single dad, Wiechmann said he prides himself on integrity, the ability to listen and the desire to make sure all students reach their full potential.
“When I talk with parents and their students are struggling, I can say: ‘At some point, I was in those shoes,’” he discussed during the board meeting. “Now I’m Dr. Wiechmann. There were some times through my schooling and high school where that wasn’t a path that was guaranteed. It was the teachers and staff who supported me and believed in me.”
Working in a district where staff have high expectations for all students, he said, is why he came to Sanger Unified 24 years ago and it’s what he will build on as superintendent.
“High expectations, meaningful participation and caring adults – that, to me, is what makes this district phenomenal,” Wiechmann said. “We have made a commitment to our families that we will ensure our students have equitable access to learning with options and opportunities to be successful and achieve their dreams.
“My work as superintendent will be to build upon those successes and support the systems as we work to address areas where we can still make improvements.”
Wiechmann will make $242,550 each year of his initial three-year contract, starting July 1 and lasting until June 30, 2026.
The amount is based, in part, on his doctoral degree and his time in the district.
Other aspects of the contract include:
25 vacation days annually
$250,000 in term life insurance
Jones said she supported Wiechmann’s selection.
“I know I’m leaving it in good hands.”
New district superintendents in Fresno aren’t new faces
Selma Unified also hired its next superintendent Tuesday evening. The board named Fresno Unified’s Lead Instructional Superintendent Edward Gomes to replace Marilyn Shepherd when she retires at the end of the school year.
Gomes has worked in Fresno Unified since 2008 as an elementary and middle school principal, administrator of leadership development and instructional superintendent of the Edison High region. Before that, he worked in Hanford Elementary School District since 1995.
Much like Sanger Unified, Clovis Unified hired a longtime employee from within its district leadership team.
Corrine Folmer, the district’s associate superintendent of school leadership, will take over as Clovis Unified’s next superintendent, the school board announced in late March in a unanimous vote. Folmer will replace retiring superintendent Eimear O’Brien on July 1.
Over a 20-year career in Clovis Unified, she has served as a teacher, guidance instructional specialist, learning director, elementary principal, assistant superintendent of the Clovis East Area and her current role as associate superintendent, according to the school district.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab at its website.
