Cardiff superintendent to retire, focus on art dream

San Diego Union Tribune – San Diego,CA,USA
ENCINITAS – Vince Jewell, superintendent of the Cardiff School
District, has said he will retire at the end of this school year to pursue
his lifelong …

ENCINITAS – Vince Jewell, superintendent of the Cardiff School District, has said he will retire at the end of this school year to pursue his lifelong interest in art.

Jewell, 57, said he studied the subject in college and taught it as a public school teacher.

“It’s been a great four years here, and I’m excited to have ended my career here,” Jewell said.

Jewell said that the decision to retire was entirely his and that he leaves the small elementary school district “in a very good place, running very smoothly.”

“Cardiff is one of the best superintendencies in California,” he said.

School district trustee David Agran said Jewell will be missed.

“We are happy for him, but saddened because he’s been a great leader and collaborator,” Agran said. “He’s been excellent for the district.”

The average tenure for a superintendent in California public schools is about three years, so Jewell’s time in Cardiff was a bit longer than average, said Jim Esterbrooks, a spokesman for the San Diego County Office of Education.

District trustee Rhea Stewart said the board will begin discussing how to search for a replacement at tonight’s school board meeting.

Jewell, who lives in Encinitas, leaves a small school district that serves 730 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Last year, the district scored 884 on the state’s Academic Performance Index, a key measure of academic achievement. The state encourages districts to strive for a score of at least 800.

In recent years the two-school district renovated its Ada Harris and Cardiff elementary school campuses.

In one sense, Jewell’s decision to retire takes him back to a moment 27 years ago, when he debated whether to pursue a master’s degree in fine arts or continue his career in public education.

Jewell was involved in pottery and glass-blowing at the time, and he considered a career as a studio artist or junior college art teacher. He ultimately chose a career in K-12 public education.

Jewell began working in 1972 as a middle school arts, math and physical education teacher in Orange County.

In 1987, he became an assistant middle school principal in the Vista Unified School District. He became principal and then assistant superintendent of human resources.

In 1997, he became principal at Coronado Middle School. In 2000, he returned to the Vista district as director of human resources. In 2003, he was hired as superintendent of Cardiff.

Jewell’s sons are both teachers in Vista. Chris, 27, teaches at Guajome Park Academy and Matt, 31, teaches at Rancho Minerva Middle School. Jewell’s wife, Gail Cerelli, is a math and science teacher at Madison Middle School, also in Vista.

“At 57, I find myself at a place with my sons grown that I can move back in the direction of art,” said Jewell, adding that his wife has been very encouraging.

Said Stewart, “I’m very sorry to see him go, but we wish him well as he pursues this new endeavor.”