Candidate for
Superintendent; Monterey County Schools

For the past 14 years as Associate Superintendent of Schools for Monterey County, Dr. Kotowski has been providing leadership for the County's 24 school districts, 140 schools and 77,000 public school students. Recognized as an effective, prudent and resourceful community and educational visionary, Dr. Kotowski connects the business and educational communities while securing millions of dollars a year in state, federal and other funding for educational services throughout the county. She administers an annual budget of more than $30 million, ensuring every taxpayer dollar is effectively utilized to achieve Monterey County education goals. Her record of accomplishment is recognized for making steady progress in reaching the education expectations of the community.

Throughout her 33 years of experience, Dr. Kotowski has excelled in all aspects of the education system based on her dedication to preparing youth for the future. A compassionate educator who believes youth are our greatest resource and hope for the future, Dr. Kotowski was nominated for Teacher of the Year in the national Those Who Excel program in recognition for her leadership in successfully transitioning junior high schools to middle schools. During her tenure as a principal, Dr. Kotowski recognized parent involvement as critical to the school mission. She created a motivating school culture that actively engaged every student in academic success, while instituting a wide array of extracurricular activities.

Dr. Kotowski has provided strong educational leadership as Associate Superintendent of Schools in Monterey County, resulting in consistent improvement of student achievement for the past six years as measured by Academic Performance Index. Focusing her efforts, she defined vital areas to improve student achievement and prepare high school graduates for the future by:

Recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers

Improving teacher quality through professional development

Supporting leadership of school principals, collaborating with the business community to make learning relevant

Ensuring safe schools

Preparing young children to succeed in school

Involving the community in achieving student literacy

Improving student writing skills

Helping at-risk students succeed

Effectively utilizing technology in schools

Dr. Kotowski holds her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Dayton, Masters of Arts degree in Educational Administration from Northwestern University and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Education Policy and Organization from the University of Southern California. While at USC, she worked for Policy Analysis for California Education that publishes studies such as The Conditions of Education in California. She co-authored a chapter with nationally recognized school finance expert Allan Odden in Rethinking School Finance for the 1990's. Dr. Kotowski is a curriculum and instruction expert in implementing California's world-class academic standards and helped develop the California English-Language Arts Framework. With her leadership and support, advances have been made in improving comprehensive English Language Development instruction for English learners.

As a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, Africa, Dr. Kotowski was recognized as a Volunteer of the Year for her development work in education. Beginning with her work in the Peace Corps, she has proven her ability to: successfully work side-by-side with people of diverse cultures, be very creative with extremely limited resources, find all possible resources to meet instructional needs and conduct effective training that is targeted at root needs.

Dr. Kotowski's commitment to education, literacy and health carries through her community involvement. She is actively involved in the AmeriCorps VISTA program, the Panetta Institute's Monterey County Reads Program and National Steinbeck Center education programs. She serves as a board member of the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Principles (H.E.L.P.) promoting healthy eating, physical fitness, and positive lifestyle principles among youth and adults in Monterey County and is on the United Way campaign cabinet for 2006.