The school year has started, and so has work for the new Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Superintendent Dr. Kevin Skelly. Skelly was officially chosen to replace Dr. Mary Frances Callan by the Palo Alto School Board May 1.

Before being appointed to his position at PAUSD, Skelly was the associate superintendent of the Poway Unified School District in San Diego and worked under Don Phillips. Phillips, who was the PAUSD superintendent from 1997-2001, recommended Skelly for the job.

Skelly has worked in education for many years, 11 of them as the principal of Saratoga High School. He has also taught in Oakland, Washington, D.C. and Ecuador. In Washington, D.C., the site of his first teaching job, he worked with children who had learning disabilities. Before his work in education, he received his Bachelor of Arts with honors in Economics from Harvard University in 1983 and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley in 1993.

When Skelly was the principal of Saratoga High School (1993-2004) he worked with Principal Noreen Likins who was a counselor there at the time. Because of that prior relationship, Likins and Skelly already have had working experience with each other, making meetings and conferences more efficient. "He's very straight forward and it is really easy to work with him," Likins said.

Some of Skelly and the Palo Alto Board of Education's major goals for this year include improving communication and facilities. "We would like to replace the portables with standard classrooms," Skelly said. "In addition, the school enrollment growth means that there aren't enough science classrooms to meet student needs."

In a recent Board of Education meeting held Aug. 28, Skelly and board members discussed improvements and goals for the upcoming school year. Skelly said the topic that deserved the most attention was improving teamwork through effective communication. While students' academic progress and welfare is also a big concern, some other issues were specifically noted at the meeting, including the debate on the Route 88 bus schedule and the quality of the facilities of every school in the district.

Other prominent figures in the district think Skelly brings an open approach to the superintendent job. "Dr. Skelly is great to work with," Associate Superintendent Marilyn Cook said. "He brings fresh eyes and an inquiring perspective to what we do, so discussions with the superintendent are open, positive and analytical. He brings new ideas, a total commitment to public education of children and an understanding of the people who work in the system."