Two days after Laguna Beach Unified School District’s Board of Education reached a mutual separation agreement with District Supt. Jason Glass, district officials announced Thursday that Don Austin has been selected as the incoming superintendent.

Austin, who most recently held the same role in the Palo Alto Unified School District for eight years, resigned from that post in February, according to reports. At his last job, Austin led a district of more than 10,000 students and 1,500 employees.

“Dr. Austin is an outstanding communicator and leader,” LBUSD Board President Sheri Morgan said. “[He] is in high demand as he wraps up his time at Palo Alto. Securing him on July 1 is a win for our district. Dr. Austin’s proven leadership will help us drive significant academic progress, maintain fiscal responsibility and improve governance and planning, especially during these complex times.”

A board majority comprising Morgan, Dee Perry and Howard Hills voted 3-2 on Tuesday to execute a separation agreement with Glass, still in the first year of a four-year contract that paid him a base salary of $435,000.

Glass was placed on paid administrative leave until his official resignation on May 31. The board during Thursday’s meeting appointed Manoj Roychowdhury, the district’s assistant superintendent of business services, as interim superintendent.

“We all liked him a lot,” Hills said of Glass. “He’s a great guy, and he had some very, very strong qualifications as an educator and a lot to offer in that regard, but I think it was difficult for him to put those strengths to good use in a situation where there was so much political strife.”

Glass’ departure served to fan the flames of critics, many of whom demonstrated outside of and packed the meeting room at Thurston Middle School on Thursday. Signs questioning the superintendent’s removal and pointing to the upcoming election were placed on the bookshelves in the library where the board met in open session.

Things got heated in the initial 20-minute public comment period, during which a mix of students, parents and teachers criticized the board majority’s decision-making and ability to lead.

“Our teachers deserve stability,” one speaker said. “Our teachers deserve support. Our families deserve transparency, and this community deserves leadership grounded in integrity, not politics. The greater Laguna Beach community is now paying attention, and people will remember the choices being made here. And finally, you have unleashed the fury of 1,000 moms — good luck.”

A video shared with the Daily Pilot showed children joining in on chants of “shame on you” as Perry entered the room.

Reached by phone on Friday, Hills said he felt that particular display was “off-putting to a lot of people in the community,” but he was optimistic Austin would be a uniting force.

Austin served as principal of Laguna Beach High from 2006 to 2011. From there, he became the assistant superintendent of educational services in the Huntington Beach Union High School District (2011-2014), then the superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (2014-2018).

“I think if anybody can bring us together, it’s Dr. Austin,” Hills said. “I have never turned my back on anybody from the opposition. I’ve never turned my back on any of our critics. I’ve always tried to speak to the merits of issues, and sometimes it’s kind of hard, because it’s gotten very personal, but I just think Laguna has a lot of character, and I think Dr. Austin’s going to bring out the best in all of us.”

A district-issued statement credited Austin for “strengthening student achievement, supporting mental health services, developing sustainable budgets, building leadership teams and improving district systems.”

“I take great pride in helping talented people see more in themselves, prepare for greater responsibility and step into leadership with confidence,” Austin said in a news release. “The best organizations are built by people who trust each other, tell the truth, stay focused and keep students at the center.”

Laguna Beach Unified Faculty Assn. President Scott Wittkop, speaking during a staff report at Thursday’s meeting, referred to the time that had elapsed since the parting of the ways with Glass as “48 hours of chaos.”

“The board owns this new decision as a group,” Wittkop said. “This cannot be wrong. I implore you to let our new superintendent do his job. I felt like the last one did not get that opportunity, so I implore all five of you to give him a shot. He is definitely more than qualified to run this district. I know him personally, and I know that he loves Laguna Beach. I know that he loves this district. …

“I also ask the community — FUEL (Families United for Education in Laguna), Sensible Laguna and everybody else — let’s work together to make this district what it is and what it should be,” the union president continued. “We cannot survive another 18 months of what we’ve gone through. I just ask everybody, let’s be optimistic. … I have hope.”