Westminster School District Appoints Superintendent Previously Fired From Orange Unified

Former Orange Unified School District Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen was appointed as Westminster School District’s new superintendent March 23, two months after she was abruptly fired from the same position by Orange Unified’s new board majority.

“I am incredibly honored to be the Superintendent of the Westminster School District, and I look forward to collaborating with the Board of Education and the entire community of learners to continue to accelerate achievement and develop state-of-the-art programs for students,” Hansen said in a statement following the decision.

The Westminster district’s superintendent position was vacated in October when Superintendent Cyndi Paik resigned due to personal matters.

Hansen was recommended by the district’s consulting firm after interviews and consideration of more than 30 candidates, according to a statement by the district.

Hansen will begin her new position April 1, where she will be paid $335,000 annually, according to district officials.

At Orange Unified, she earned $336,157 in 2021, according to the public pay database Transparent California.

Westminster Board President David Johnson said in a statement that Hansen aligned with the district’s goals for their schools.

“Westminster School District is quickly becoming a destination district in Orange County sought by discerning parents, staff, and teachers,” he said in the statement. “Now we will also boast one of the best superintendents in the entire state and she is in alignment with our goals for excellence.”

The Orange Unified School Board voted 4–3 on Jan. 5 to fire Hansen and place Assistant Superintendent Cathleen Corella on leave pending an academic audit.

Though the board gave no reason for Hansen’s termination, Board President Rick Ledesma later told the Orange County Register that it wanted to go in a different direction, and that the board had been “focusing too much on the social politics of education.”

Edward Velasquez, who was appointed as interim superintendent of Orange Unified after Hansen’s termination, resigned from the position after about a month on the job, saying he partially chose to leave because he felt the district’s focus had been taken off students.

Earlier this month, Orange Unified unanimously appointed one of its existing assistant superintendents as acting superintendent while it searches for a new superintendent.

The Westminster School District oversees 17 schools in Westminster, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, and Midway City and about 8,200 students.