Named interim superintendent by the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education on July 1, Patricia Jaffe will fill the role for roughly six months, while the district seeks a permanent replacement.

Though her stint will be short, Jaffe, a 40-year CCUSD employee, is sure to have her hands full as the district holds it breath to see what its financial outlook will be once the state agrees on a budget. Currently the district is able to meet its financial obligations for the 2010-2011 school year, but possible cuts amounting to close to $7 million over the next three years may result in more jobs lost and fewer programs for students.

With this in mind, Jaffe intends to motivate district employees — some of whom are former students of hers — have resources in place so that they can fulfill their duties for the school year that begins Aug. 30, and engage philanthropic organizations.

In an interview this week, the USC and Pepperdine University graduate spoke candidly about her goals for the district and why CCUSD has tugged at her heart for so long.

The district is searching for a permanent superintendent. Is it a national search?
They are going to use a California search firm…They haven’t chosen a search firm yet, so when they do then they’ll have more of an idea of what they are looking for. I don’t know if its going to be a national search or a statewide search. You never know. Right now they have applications. The board has to make the decision as to what they are looking for and what they want to do.

Has the board discussed what they are looking for in a candidate?
No. Once they meet with the search firm they will tell them exactly what it is that they want and that will be [contained] in a brochure. It will say what qualities and attributes they are looking for.

Do you hope to be considered in the search?
No, not at this time.

What are your goals for the district?
My first and foremost goal is to make sure that the students have the best education possible and continue the excellent level of education that they are receiving in Culver City. So, it will be to work with the principals and the supervisors to make sure that all of our programs are in place and to work on our educational goals, education plan. Also to make sure that schools are safe and secure, and of course, work on the budget. My major goal is to make sure that all employees understand the budget and the crisis that we are in. I am going to be setting up budget workshops for the community and for all of the employees. Also, I will work with the board to make sure that we make whatever cuts need to be made in a thoughtful manner…I am going to work with everyone to make sure that we keep the morale up but it is difficult because when you don’t know if you are going to have a job the following year, it’s a problem…The Culver City Education Foundation has been a major supporter and the Downtown Business Association is working with CCEF. We will continue to reach out to them, but it’s still not going to be enough to save every job or every program.

What is in store for the next superintendent and what qualities will he or she need to have?
[He or she] is going to have to look into the budget to figure out what is going to be done to ensure that the programs and the education in Culver City continues at the high level that it has always been. But also to guide the board and help the board make wise decisions.

What has kept you with CCUSD for so long?
I like the fact that it is relatively small and it’s like a family. You get to know all of the people and you are close to them. People work together. This is an unbelievably amazing community — from the families, to the businesses to the city, everyone tries to work together. That is amazing to me. When I was a young teacher I could call the superintendent up and say, “Hi Kurt, here’s a problem.” And now they call me.

How did you get your start in education?
I started out at USC and … they had a program where you could be an instructional assistant in special education. I started off with that and did my student teaching then started teaching English at the junior high level, then middle school [Culver City Middle School] where I taught English and Social Studies. I also taught English Language Learners. Then I became the assistant principal there before becoming principal. I was then the assistant superintendent of human resources and now I am the interim superintendent.

What are your plans once you’ve completed your work as interim superintendent?
I have been doing some work with Loyola Marymount University. I was the university supervisor for young people who want to be administrators or are administrators but are just getting into that. Then I also was an adjunct professor last semester doing organizational management. So, I want to continue working with them.