Oak View's new superintendent to bring a Chiechi-like outlook

After 10 years as the principal at Fairsite Elementary School, Mike Scully will become the new superintendent of Oak View School. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Oak View's new superintendent to bring a Chiechi-like outlook

By Amanda Dyer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, April 24, 2008 6:56 AM PDT

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Michael Scully, principal at Fairsite Elementary School, kissed a pig to get students to raise test scores and read books. He has also shaved his head, eaten worms, been doused with green slime, dressed up as a woman and worn a tutu to school for the same reasons.

He even conducted an entire day of work on the school's rooftop using only a cell phone, a student's desk and chair, and an umbrella, all to inspire children to achieve.

"I love that stuff. I think it's pretty important," said Scully, whose philosophy is to make school both challenging and fun.

Starting July 1, Scully will use those talents at Oak View Elementary School, a school he said he's admired from afar during his last 10 years at Fairsite Elementary.

As superintendent, Scully will earn $103,000, a $6,000 increase from his current job.

Scully will replace Principal and Superintendent Bill Chiechi, who will be retiring after 29 years at the district.

Scully said he had planned to stick with Galt Elementary Joint Union School District as co-principal at both Fairsite Elementary and Greer Elementary, but the opportunity at Oak View Elementary was just too good to pass up.

As part of Galt Elementary's reconfiguration plan, Fairsite Elementary could possibly close in 2009. Greer Middle School will become Greer Elementary School, and McCaffrey Middle School will become the district's sole junior high.

Karen Schauer, superintendent at Galt Elementary, said she's not sure whether she will replace Scully. The district is undergoing significant changes because of the reconfiguration.

However, she too, believes Scully will prosper at Oak View Elementary.

"I see him as a very steady, caring, very loyal leader in our district," Schauer said. "I think he's going to be a good fit for (Oak View Elementary)."

Mike Scully at a glance

Age: 52

Current position: Principal at Fairsite Elementary School.

Position as of July 1: Superintendent and principal at Oak View Union School District.

Family: Wife, Donna; two sons, 30 and 13; and a daughter, 26.

Hobbies: Golf, working out, reading, coaching basketball and spending time with family.

Scully started his career in education at Main Avenue Elementary School in Robla School District in Sacramento, where he taught fourth grade for five years.

He moved on to help open and teach at Glenwood Elementary School as a sixth-grade teacher for another five years.

Scully came to Galt Joint Union Elementary School District 10 years ago as assistant principal at Fairsite Elementary. When the former principal resigned, Scully took the school's top job, where he has stayed ever since.

Knowingly or not, Scully describes the highlights of his career as things that have directly benefited the students whom he cares so much about.

"When I first got here, the playgrounds were terrible. The classrooms were bare-bones," Scully said.

In his first few years as principal, he used money awarded to the school for reaching their goals on standardized tests to buy students new playground equipment, replacing the rundown wooden and metal equipment that was giving students splinters.

A few years after that, Scully scraped together some funds that the school had saved throughout the year and installed a track at the school.

At the time, Scully said, some board members were skeptical that the track would hold up through the years.

But seven years later, students still use that track for their Mile Club, a running club that rewards student for working out.

He also had the school painted from brown and orange — colors that he said made the school look like army barracks — to different shades of blue.

"Once you start doing that stuff ... it starts raising the feeling at the school," Scully said.

Scully acknowledges that it's going to be hard to fill Chiechi's shoes, but said it's always hard to go into a new situation.

Plus, he said, he doesn't see much that needs fixing and will try to make staff as comfortable as he can with the change.

Like Chiechi, Scully has always had an open-door policy and plans to stay at the school for as many years as he can.

"It seems like right now things are clicking," Scully said. "I would find it preposterous to go in there and fix things that aren't broken."

He also likes to lead by committee and include as many people as possible in many of the decisions he makes as principal.

"I know I don't have the answers. My wife reminds me of that all the time," Scully said with a laugh.

However, Scully's shoes aren't going to be easy to fill either.

"He's a great person to work for," said Alma Fernandez, registrar and attendance clerk at Fairsite Elementary.

"He needs to open up positions at Oak View so we can follow," Secretary Connie Valencia said.

There is one thing that Scully hopes will come to Oak View Elementary in the near future — a multipurpose room.

Oak View Union School District has been asking voters to approve a bond that will give them the opportunity to build the much-need gathering place. However, the district has come up just a few votes shy each time.

Scully said he can relate to Oak View's troubles. Fairsite Elementary, which has grown from 250 to 500 students, also needs a larger multi-purpose room.

That change is unlikely to happen, though, because the school is presently scheduled to close in two years as a result of Galt Elementary's reconfiguration plan.

"I see a huge need for Oak View to have a multipurpose room," Scully said.

Though he's looking forward to new opportunities at Oak View Elementary, he's also sad to leave the Fairsite Elementary community behind.

Through the trials of life, Scully said, the school's staff has grown closer. Some of the staff's children even call him Uncle Scully.

"We've kind of become a family," Scully said.

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.

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