UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Following several months of work to recruit a new superintendent, the Upper Lake Unified School District Board on Wednesday night unanimously approved the contract with the veteran school administrator who it has selected to head the district for the next four years.
The district board formalized its agreement on Wednesday with Dr. Giovanni Annous, Ed.D., who officially begins work on July 1.
“I’m thrilled, I’m excited,” Annous told the board Wednesday evening.
Annous, who is from Southern California, has been in the district this week meeting with officials and touring facilities, and also working on finding a home for him and his family, which includes his wife and 9-year-old son.
Before the vote to approve Annous’ contract was taken, Board President Keith Austin offered Annous the opportunity to speak.
Standing at the podium, Annous said Wednesday had been his first full day in the district.
He said the experience so far with the district has been very rewarding, exciting and enriching.
“I cannot wait to get started,” Annous said.
After the vote, Austin said he was looking forward to adding to the character of the faculty through Annous’ hiring, although he acknowledged there also was sadness due to the upcoming departure of Superintendent Patrick Iaccino, who is retiring.
Iaccino, who is now completing his 11th year as superintendent in Upper Lake, and whose last official day on the job is June 30.
Annous shook the hands of all of the board members after the vote, also shaking the hands of district administrators, telling Iaccino that he had “big shoes to fill, sir.” He then shook the hands of the small group of audience members.
After Iaccino, Annous will be the second superintendent to head the recently consolidated district, which includes what had formerly been the elementary and high school districts.
Before being chosen to head the consolidated district, Iaccino – who also originally came from Southern California – had been principal and superintendent of the high school district.
Iaccino was one of the champions of the consolidation, which was completed in 2016, and also has led an update of campus facilities, supported a variety of academic programs including Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial and robotics, and worked to expand career technical education training.
He also has started to lay the necessary groundwork for the district to pursue a new bond in 2018 to further improve its facilities.
The selection process
Upper Lake Unified had begun its search for Iaccino’s successor in January. The process included community forums to gather input from district residents, advertising of the job, screening and finally interviews, according to district officials.
Iaccino said they received 30 applications from as far away as Alaska, New Mexico and even England.
Austin said all 30 applicants were screened on paper, and eventually two candidates were recommended to the board for interviews, leading to Annous’ selection.
This is Annous’ second superintendent job. He was hired as superintendent for Rim of the World Unified School District – headquartered in Blue Jay, not far from Lake Arrowhead in San Bernardino County – in June 2015.
He gave notice of his resignation from that job at in April, with the effective date June 30, according to reports in the Mountain News and Alpenhorn News.
Press reports indicate the district’s teacher’s union had raised issues with Annous’ leadership over, among other things, administration salary settlements as well as complaints filed by teachers.
One complaint alleged harassment and a hostile work environment that developed due to Annous’ reaction and concern after finding out that a California Assembly member had been invited to address a high school class a week before the November election. Annous told the media in February that false allegations had been made against him in the complaints.
Asked by Lake County News on Wednesday about the issues at Rim of the World, Annous framed them as primarily unique to the district and, more specifically, financial in nature in regard to meeting a nearly $4 million budget shortfall.
He added that he believes that district is going to do amazing things in the future.
Austin said the Upper Lake Unified Board was aware of what had occurred at Rim of the World. “I have no concerns at all,” he said.
He said Annous was very candid with the board about the situation and the environment that led to the controversies in his previous role during the confidential and comprehensive interview process that led to his selection in Upper Lake.
Austin said the contract contains normal termination clauses that allow for cause or no cause, and he thinks they did a good job of setting up the document to protect the district.
However, they are expecting the best.
Four years is the longest term that can be offered for a superintendent’s contract, Austin said.
With the four-year contract approved on Wednesday, Austin said the board meant to show its full support of Annous.
“Not only did he choose us but we chose him, and that makes it a little bit more of a balanced partnership,” said Austin.
The four-year contract the district board approved, which is shown below, calls for Annous to receive a base salary of $145,000 per year (for 247 days of work), annual step advancements of 3 percent, 26 paid vacation days that Annous must be paid for if they go unused and 1.5 sick days per month. He also will receive medical, dental and vision insurance, and up to $5,000 in moving expenses.
In addition to that salary and benefits package, Annous will receive 5 percent of his annual salary which will be directed to either or both a tax-deferred annuity of life insurance of his selection.
For comparison, Iaccino currently makes $157,000 annually and has a similar benefits package, however, he does not have an additional annuity paid for by the district.
In his previous position Annous also had a four-year contract with benefits that are similar to those included in his new contract with Upper Lake, particularly the annuity. The Mountain News gave his salary as of June 2016 at Rim of the World as $175,000 annually, after having initially received an annual salary of $145,000 in his first year at that district.
Looking forward to what’s ahead
“I’ve been blessed,” Annous told Lake County News in an interview following the meeting.
He holds numerous academic degrees from institutions including California State University, Long Beach and the University of La Verne.
Born in Lebanon, Annous speaks three languages – English, Arabic and French – and came to the United States in September 1982 when he was 17, with a little money in his pocket but a lot of determination.
He signed up to learn English, worked many jobs and later went on to attend community colleges before beginning his university-level study. Annous also brought his family – including his parents and sister – to the United States.
While his initial educational background was in electrical, biomedical and clinical engineering, Annous said he fell into education by mistake but quickly found himself hooked.
He said his parents are retired educators and his sister, who started as a French teacher, also is a school administrator.
His entry into education started when he decided to go through the process to become a substitute teacher to help with his sister’s French class.
He started teaching in 1994 and never looked back, eventually moving into administration and getting additional degrees – two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education.
His educational resume includes 20 years working in the Fontana Unified School District as a principal before taking the principal’s job at Rim of the World High School in 2014 and the superintendent’s job at Rim of the World Unified School District the following year.
He credits serendipity with putting him on the path to applying for the job in Upper Lake.
Annous and his wife, Majda, a school psychologist, met in San Francisco. He said they have always liked Northern California and thought it was the place they wanted to be.
One day earlier this year Annous opened up an educational publication and saw the advertisement for the Upper Lake superintendent’s position.
He applied to Upper Lake and a few other places, receiving more than one offer. Annous said he ultimately accepted Upper Lake’s position because he liked the fit, the opportunities and how the community is approaching education of its children.
At the end of the meeting, Austin told Annous, “We look forward to what the future holds.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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