'On solid ground.' Denair schools chief leaving after turning around troubled district

Aaron Rosander, superintendent of the Denair Unified School District, will leave the post when his contract expires at the end of June.

Rosander made the announcement at a meeting last week, the district said in a news release. School board President Ray Prock Jr. said a search for Rosander’s replacement will begin immediately.

Rosander, 61, has been in Denair’s top post since February 2014. He came from Mariposa, where he was the county schools superintendent. In Denair, he took over a district in severe financial distress that barely had avoided state takeover by layoffs and salary cuts, the news release said.

“As I look back on our past four years, I am reminded of the many chapters of our bold work to overcome the formidable challenges that threatened the very existence of our schools,” Rosander said in the release. “And, while the work that we ventured into is not entirely complete, we can declare that we now stand on solid ground and be proud of the powerful platform we have set for our schools in future years.”

The district still struggles with enrollment. DUSD had 1,600 students in 2008, the district said, but that number had declined to less than 1,400 by the time Rosander arrived in 2014. Enrollment stands at 1,272 today.

“Denair Unified is in a much better place because of Mr. Rosander,” Prock said in the release. “The board is extremely grateful for what has been, and will be, accomplished during Mr. Rosander’s time in Denair.”

Rosander is a former science teacher and state educator of the year, the district said. He has worked in Hollister, Tulare County, Calaveras County and Nevada County.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 2:24 PM with the headline "'On solid ground.' Denair schools chief leaving after turning around troubled district."