National School District appoints its first Latina superintendent

For the first time ever, a Latina superintendent will run National City elementary schools.

Board members appointed Laura Philyaw, the National School District’s assistant superintendent of educational services, during a special meeting last week. Philyaw will take on her new role this upcoming school year.

Last year, Superintendent Leighangela Brady, the district’s first woman to head the district, announced her intent to retire at the end of June after about a decade into her role. 

Philyaw has more than 25 years of experience in education. She began her career at Oceanside Unified, where she worked as an elementary teacher, a middle school assistant principal and later as an elementary school principal before serving as the principal of a dual language school at Encinitas Union. 

She spent roughly a decade at Escondido Union, as a director, assistant superintendent and then deputy superintendent of educational services before joining the National School District in July.

Philyaw has a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego, where she later received her doctoral degree in educational leadership after obtaining her masters degree at the University of San Diego. 

District officials partnered with superintendents-turned-consultants Ernie Anastos and George Cameron to search for a new candidate. They held a public meeting in February to gather input from the community. 

The roughly 20 individuals who applied had an average experience of about three years in their current role as either a superintendent, chief executive officer or a similar role, officials said.

Anastos and Cameron provided the board a package of the candidates, with some information redacted in an effort for the review to be unbiased. 

Philyaw will head San Diego County’s second-oldest school district, where a majority of the roughly 4,000 students enrolled in preschool through sixth grade are considered low income. 

Details about Philyaw’s new employment agreement are not yet available. The board is expected to approve a multi-year contract at an upcoming meeting.

“We look forward to working with Dr. Philyaw and are excited to see the impact her leadership will have on the future of our district,” board President Barbara Avalos said in a statement.