Fremont school board selects new superintendent

Martinez Unified Superintendent Cammack will start job in August

Fremont’s school board has selected a new superintendent to take over in August after the previous superintendent stepped down this year at the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Christopher “C.J.” Cammack unanimously was appointed by the Fremont Unified School District board at its meeting Wednesday.

Cammack is currently in his fourth year serving as the superintendent of the Martinez Unified School District, according to a Fremont district statement.

Cammack’s first day of work will be Aug. 1. His contract will last through June 2023 and he will be paid a base salary of $330,000 annually, according to the school board. The district did not immediately respond to a request Thursday seeking the total cost of Cammack’s employment to the district.

“I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to serve as the next superintendent of the Fremont Unified School District,” Cammack said during the virtual meeting Wednesday. “Fremont has an excellent reputation for high achievement, inclusion, student and parent engagement and a very involved and supportive community. These characteristics are also evident of talented and dedicated staff across the district, strong leadership and established relationships between our schools and the community.”

Fremont Unified is one of the largest school districts in the region with 42 schools that serve about 35,000 students.

In March, Superintendent Kim Wallace announced her resignation from the post, but the board said she would continue to be paid through the duration of her contract, which ended in June, and would “assist remotely” in the district.

Wallace, in a letter to all employees in March, did not give a specific reason for stepping down, saying only, “I ultimately decided that this is the right time for me to pursue other professional goals.”

Raul Zamora, the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources, took over in March as acting superintendent and will hold the post until Cammack takes over.

Cammack began his career as an elementary teacher in the Mount Diablo Unified School District while also coaching baseball at Head Royce School, Fremont’s district said.

He took an administrator role in the Martinez Unified School District, serving as a middle school vice principal and elementary school principal before being promoted to the district office administration, the statement said.

Cammack also served as a director of student services and special education before being promoted to assistant superintendent of administrative services. Before taking on his current role as superintendent at Martinez Unified, Cammack was the assistant superintendent of human resources for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

In April, the district hired Southern Californiabased Leadership Associates, a consultant company, to help lead the search for a new superintendent, as well as assist the new superintendent and board through the transition, for a total of $63,500.

“This is a terrible time to have been without a superintendent. And we have been so lucky to have Dr. Zamora willing to step in and support the Fremont Unified School District,” board member Ann Crosbie said Wednesday during the meeting. “This is not going to be a typical start to what a normal superintendent would come into with a district.”

“I look forward to joining the Fremont Unified School District family as soon as possible and I really look forward to learning even more about how I can best serve our staff, our students and the entire Fremont community,” Cammack said.