The Sausalito Marin City School District has hired an interim superintendent while it searches for a longer-term administrator.
The district trustees voted 4-0 on Monday to retain Valerie Pitts on a contract basis through the Marin County Office of Education. Pitts was the superintendent at the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District for about 12 years before retiring in 2017.
Pitts replaces LaResha Huffman, who resigned after three years. The resignation took effect Tuesday.
Pitts will make $1,000 per day, according to the agreement between the school district and the county education office.
Pitts started her education career in 1979 as a teacher for San Rafael City Schools. Between 2011 and 2013, during her period leading the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District, she also worked as part-time superintendent at the Sausalito Marin City School District.
Pitts also was interim superintendent in the Miller Creek School District in 2024 while the incumbent was on medical leave.
The Sausalito Marin City School board said it plans several events for the community and staff to meet Pitts in the next few weeks.
The trustees also have to fill a sudden vacancy on the board. Caroline Tiziani, the board president, resigned on Friday.
“This decision comes after significant personal reflection,” Tiziani said in a letter to the board. “At this stage in my life, my family requires my full attention, and I am no longer able to commit the time and energy necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this office.”
Tiziani resigned a day after the trustees elected Lauren Walters as president. Tiziani was a supporter of Huffman.
At the board meeting on Monday, trustees offered praise for Tiziani, who was not present.
“Being a trustee is not an easy job,” Walters said. “We thank Caroline for her three and a half years of service.”
Bonnie Hough said Tiziani, a teacher for San Rafael City Schools, “brought enormous knowledge and experience” to her work as trustee.
Tiziani’s term expires in December. The board has not decided whether to fill the seat by short-term appointment or leave it vacant until the Nov. 3 election, Walters said.
Huffman agreed to exit as part of a settlement announced on June 17. The deal nullified a two-year contract extension that had been approved.
Under the settlement, Huffman received a lump sum payment of $241,020 for a year’s salary, and she agreed she would not pursue discrimination or harassment claims against the district.
In a farewell online message to residents on Thursday, Huffman said she was leaving the district in better shape than when she arrived in 2023. She said the recent accomplishments included improved test scores, a renovated campus in Sausalito and the 2024 passage of the Measure G parcel tax.
“Over the past three years, our community has achieved so much,” Huffman said. “Together, we passed the first parcel tax in district history, demonstrating our shared commitment to investing in our students and schools.”
“We opened a beautiful new school campus that will serve generations,” Huffman said. “We strengthened instruction through a focus on literacy, the science of reading, data-driven decision making, intervention, and high-quality teaching and learning.”
Huffman has been hired as superintendent of the American Indian Model Schools, a K-12 college prep charter district in Oakland. She will start on July 20, the district announced.