Peterson hired as new Merced high schools business official

Alan Peterson, Atwater High School’s principal for the past 51/2 years, is becoming the Merced Union High School District’s new assistant superintendent for business, replacing Leonard C. Kahn, who is resigning later this month.

Peterson’s appointment and Kahn’s resignation-retirement package were ratified unanimously by district trustees Wednesday. Kahn’s last day is Dec. 24; Peterson will hold down his principal role as well as the new chief budget officer position through January until a successor can be named at Atwater High.

Superintendent Scott Scambray said Kahn decided to retire and pursue other interests.

“He was incredibly productive during his tenure, especially considering the difficult financial times,” Scambray said. “Completing El Capitan High School under budget was a great accomplishment.”

Peterson, who started with the district in 2001, is eager to take on his new role.

“It’s going to be a whole new adventure,” Peterson said. “It’s heart-wrenching for me to leave Atwater High School. I had an incredible amount of support with an incredible staff. We were able to accomplish a lot to help students achieve at higher levels.”

Stacy McAfee, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said Peterson’s salary is still being negotiated.

New trustee Richard Lopez said the board believes Peterson is the best person for the post and that he will do a great job keeping the district on the map.

Trustee Dora Crane said the board is looking forward to working with Peterson. She said Peterson is up to the challenge and can juggle both positions until a new principal is named.

“I wish Mr. Kahn well,” Crane said. “He did a good job for the district and saved the school district a lot of money. Lots of good things happened under him.”

Peterson, 49, was a vice principal at Atwater High School from 2001-2004, before becoming an associate principal at Merced’s Golden Valley High School. From 2008-2009 he opened Sequoia High School and worked with the district to implement the community day school there.

Peterson said the Atwater principal’s position has just been posted and the application period will close in early January.

“My biggest goal in the new position is bringing an educational perspective to the chief budget officer position,” Peterson said. “There needs to be a symbiotic relationship between instructional services and the business side. The two have to mesh.”

Peterson said the school financing picture has bottomed out and is starting an upward trend, but there still are state financing issues to be worked out.

Peterson received his bachelor’s degree in history from California State University, Chico, and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Chapman University. He started teaching in 1989 in Hilmar and later became a middle school administrator and then a vice principal there.

Peterson and his wife of 20 years, Michelle, have three children. Benjamin, 18, just graduated from Atwater High School; Sydney Peterson, 16, is a junior at Hilmar High School; and Olivia Peterson, 13, is a seventh-grader at Hilmar Middle School.

Kahn, 55, became the assistant superintendent for business in August 2011. Before that he was principal of Val Verde Academy in Perris; he previously served as a coordinator of secondary education, assistant principal, interim director of business services, teacher and coach at Southern California schools.

This story was originally published December 15, 2014 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Peterson hired as new Merced high schools business official."