Culver City Observer -

It what can only be described as a shocking development in Culver City Schools, the board decided to end Dr. Josh Arnold's tenure as Superintendent of School. Citing the lack of "shared vision" between the superintendent and the board he was terminated immediately. The word came after Tuesday night's closed session of the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education. Arnold was at the end of his first year in a three-year contract with the district. He had gained popularity with the students in his ability to relate to them. The board complimented him on his forward thinking projects he integrated into the district. A recent dispute between the superintendent and Linwood E. Howe Elementary School Principal Dr. Kim Indelicato appears to be at the center of the controversy. Indelicato withdrew her resignation shortly after resigning due to an undisclosed dispute with the school district. Parents who rallied around her cited that she was "harassed" by Arnold. The nature of the alleged harassment was not made public. As a matter of policy and confidentiality board members are not at liberty to discuss personnel matters. In hiring Arnold one year ago then Board President Dr. Steven Levin said of Dr. Arnold's selection "We had a number of amazing candidates to choose from and the Board was unanimous in choosing Dr. Arnold. He is a terrific, charismatic, leader who will lead CCUSD in the right direction, deepening our commitment to the values and strategies which make this a great school district."The board will meet to name an interim superintendent while the search begins for Arnold's replacement.

The full Statement of the board is below: The CCUSD Board of Education announces the departure of Superintendent Dr. Joshua Arnold, effective today. At the one-year mark, the board has determined that Dr. Arnold and the Board do not share the same vision for the leadership of the District. During his tenure at CCUSD, Dr. Arnold set in motion several progressive, innovative initiatives. These include plans to install system-wide air conditioning; demolish the non-operational swimming pool; pursue total inclusion of special education students into the mainstream classroom, and establish Makerspace classrooms in each of the elementary schools. We are committed to pursuing these projects in the coming years. During this past year, Dr. Arnold also upgraded CCUSD's brand and image, including an extensive #CULVERPRIDE social media campaign. We thank Dr. Arnold for these and his many other contributions to the district. The CCUSD Board of Education will begin a search for a new superintendent immediately. As in past searches, we will request the community's participation in the search process by asking for your input regarding experience, characteristics and qualifications for CCUSD's next superintendent. We will keep you apprised of the process and progress. A special meeting will be held as soon as possible later this week to appoint an Interim Superintendent. We wish Dr. Arnold well in his future endeavors. Thank you for your continued commitment to and support of CCUSD. Success for All Takes Us All. With #CULVERPRIDE, Board of Education Kathy Paspalis, Esq., President Anne Allaire, Vice President / Parliamentarian Dr. Kelly Kent, Clerk Dr. Steve Levin, Member Summer McBride, Member