Janet Young, Clovis Unified superintendent since 2011, to step down at school year’s end

Clovis Unified Superintendent Janet Young will retire at the end of the school year, ending a near 40-year stint with the district.

Young, 63, has served as superintendent since 2011, and has held various administrative roles in the district since she was hired as a first-grade teacher at Tarpey Elementary School in 1979.

Young said at a news conference Monday that the decision to not renew her contract, which expires in June, was not an easy one.

“Perhaps there is no perfect time to retire, but I believe this is the time: when the district is thriving and strong and positive and more united than ever before. It’s time for me to give this very special school district to another leader that can take the students and our community to higher levels of excellence. “

The Clovis Unified school board plans to speedily appoint a replacement for Young.

School board president Sandy Budd said that the district will start the hiring process as soon as possible, and hopes to have a new superintendent by June.

Budd would not name any potential candidates, but said the board does not plan to conduct a national search and is considering in-state applicants.

Budd pointed to Young’s leadership as a reason for the district’s consistently high test scores. The district, the state’s 16th largest, is known for its academic and athletic achievement.

At the news conference, Budd hugged Young, and said that founding superintendent Floyd “Doc” Buchanan, who died in 2015, would be proud of her legacy.

“Your never-ending pursuit of excellence and your attention to detail since the day you signed your contact with Dr. Buchanan almost four decades ago has been one that we will all remember well,” Budd said. “If Doc were here today, I’m sure he would be thanking you for all the hours and endless, endless time you have spent educating employees and making sure the culture and his vision live on in this district.”

Young said that she plans to spend her retirement with her family and that she is not seeking other employment.

“Serving the students, employees, community and governing board of Clovis Unified has been the greatest honor of my life,” she said.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Janet Young, Clovis Unified superintendent since 2011, to step down at school year’s end."