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Published on 02/03/1997 All articles from this issue

Goodbye to a super superintendent

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Editorial

Officials in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District now have a tall order before them - replacing Superintendent Don Phillips.

Phillips, schools chief for Mountain View and Los Altos high schools since 1990, has accepted the superintendent position at the Palo Alto Unified School District.

During his almost seven years with the district, Phillips forged a reputation as a leader equally adept at handling day-to-day operations and long-range planning.

He led efforts for a high schools master plan, a document still vital to the school district six years after its completion.

Phillips also played no small role in plans currently under way to renovate aging facilities. He worked hard at helping to shape plans that served the district while satisfying voters.

The Harvard-educated Phillips clearly has the credentials and smarts to lead the Palo Alto district. But he has one more quality that, presumably, made him a clear favorite for the position: accountability.

Phillips operated with an open-door policy, and with a friendly, straight-forwardness in dealings with associates and residents.

He continually encouraged a wide range of input on district decisions.

Such people don't grow on trees. We wish Phillips the best, and our school board well in its search for a new superintendent. The task won't be easy.