Paul Turnbull, one of three assistant superintendents at the K-12 Santa Barbara School Districts, may depart for the top job at the small Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District.
If Turnbull — who started his current position in July — takes the superintendent job in Santa Ynez, he will be the sixth high-level administrator to leave the Santa Barbara district this school year.
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Both Turnbull and Santa Ynez school board member Jeff Little declined to comment this week, but Superintendent Brian Sarvis confirmed Wednesday that the Santa Ynez board has made overtures to Turnbull, who has responded with strong interest.
“I know Paul was pursued by a head-hunting organization, so it wasn’t something he went looking for, it was something that came looking for him,” Sarvis said. “I’m sad to see him go; he’s bright and very capable.”
Turnbull’s likely departure comes at a gloomy time for the Santa Barbara district, which, in addition to its high turnover of leadership, is facing the grim possibility of having to cut $4 million from its $100 million budget this spring, thanks to an ongoing state budget disaster. If it plays out that way, it will mark the second consecutive year in which Santa Barbara schools have endured deep cuts.
Sarvis said he can’t fault Turnbull for his interest in the Santa Ynez opportunity.
“It’s a dream job,” he said, pointing out that the 1,200-student district is not only small, but also enjoys a rare funding status called Basic Aid that results in having more money per student, primarily because of high property-tax proceeds and shrinking enrollment.
“That means they are largely immune from state budget woes.”
What’s more, Sarvis said, Santa Ynez’s staff members tend to be better paid than their counterparts in regular school districts, like Santa Barbara, whose K-12 system enrolls 16,000 students.
Turnbull, 39, makes around $128,000 annually in Santa Barbara. Officials have not yet disclosed the salary of Santa Ynez’s open position.
Sarvis, meanwhile, has been asking the Santa Barbara school board to consider boosting administrative pay to better attract and retain high-quality candidates. But the board, mindful of the political sensitivity of the request, thus far has been unresponsive.
Since July, the district has lost five top administrators, not counting Turnbull.
Special education director Jo Anne Pulley resigned in December, citing a desire to resume the pursuit of a doctorate degree, which she put on hold three years ago to take the district job.
Pulley’s resignation was preceded by those of Jan Zettel, assistant superintendent of secondary education and Turnbull’s predecessor, in July; finance director Bob Wolf, also in July; assistant superintendent of business Ed Diaz in October; and food director Frank Lihn, also in October.
Of the five, only Zettel retired. Wolf and Diaz left after the embarrassing discovery of a $5 million surplus, several months after the school board made deep cuts to programs. Lihn, who inherited a cafeteria budget with massive debt, said he was leaving to return to his roots in the food service industry on the East Coast.
Turnbull joined the district in 2001, when he became assistant principal at Goleta Valley Junior High. He was promoted to principal in 2003 and took the helm at Santa Barbara High in July 2005.
A Canadian, Turnbull has a master’s degree in education from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. As an undergraduate, he earned three bachelor’s degrees: in education, from the University of Manitoba; and in English literature and physical and health education, both from Queens’ University in Ontario. He also played football for the University of Manitoba.
