The Woodside Elementary School District board has chosen its middle school principal to fill the district's top leadership position, pending a vote in an open-session meeting. Steve Frank will replace outgoing Superintendent Beth Polito, who is leaving her post at the end of the school year to head the neighboring Las Lomitas School District.

The school board reported out of a closed -session meeting on Tuesday (May 7) that it authorized negotiation of an employment contract with Frank, who has been with the district since 2002, to serve as superintendent. The board will vote on the contract at its next regular meeting, scheduled for June 4, said board President Silvia Edwards.

“I’m very excited to work with the board, staff and parent community,” Frank said at the May 7 meeting. “I look forward to working here, and it’s the best school I could imagine (working for).”

In announcing the board's choice, Edwards said that Frank is dedicated to the school and is the right superintendent for the district’s future. He became Woodside School's middle school principal in 2014, and is largely responsible for transforming the middle school program from a good to a great school, she said.

“His dedication is unparalleled,” Edwards said. “Steve gets Woodside; he understands our culture and values of our school. … He’s respected by staff, trusted by parents and, above all, beloved by students.”

Before becoming middle school principal, Frank served as the K-8 assistant principal for five years, according to the district's website. He was a middle school social studies teacher for seven years before moving into administration.

A Menlo Park resident, Frank graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Santa Clara University, according to the district’s website.

The school board reviewed a superintendent search proposal during a public meeting on April 26, and decided to push the process back until its May 7 meeting, Edwards said after the meeting. At the previous meeting, the board opted not to hire the search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to help fill Polito’s position, Edwards said. The firm has been working with the Portola Valley School District to find a new superintendent, and was involved in the Las Lomitas district superintendent search.

The Las Lomitas district board plans to vote on Polito’s appointment in an open-session meeting at 7 p.m. tonight (May 8) in the La Entrada Middle School multi-use room at 2200 Sharon Road in Menlo Park.

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