West Marin educator to depart for countywide post
Adam Jennings, the superintendent at the Shoreline Unified School District since 2021, has been hired for a leading position at the Marin County Office of Education.
Jennings was chosen from a field of about 35 applicants for the assistant superintendent post, said John Carroll, the county superintendent of schools. He said Jennings would likely be in charge of maintenance, operations and outdoor facilities.
“I’m a big fan of Adam’s,” Carroll said Thursday. “I’ve worked with him for years.”
“We were looking for a field player, a generalist,” Carroll said. “Since Adam was working at a small district, he had to wear a lot of hats and gained a breadth of experience so that he could actually drop into any department.”
Jennings, 51, of Petaluma will leave the Shoreline district effective June 30. In a letter to families, he said he had “mixed emotions” about resigning.
“I have spent over half of my career in collaboration with so many in this school community,” Jennings wrote. “I leave enriched by the amazing experiences I have had working with students, families and staff as both a principal and the superintendent in Shoreline.”
Jennings said he learned about the spirit of the district by attending everything from “sporting events to family nights” and a range of community meetings. Jennings was principal at Tomales High School before becoming superintendent.
“The collection of ideas, values, personalities and beliefs sprinkled throughout the varied communities of this district are its deepest strength,” he wrote. “I am so thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of it. It has truly changed my life.”
Heidi Koenig, president of the district’s board of trustees, said it plans to hire an interim superintendent for the 2025-26 school year while conducting a search for Jennings’ replacement.
“Adam Jennings has been an amazingly supportive and productive administrator during his time at Shoreline, both as principal at Tomales High School and as superintendent of the district,” Koenig said. “We are sad to see him leave, but understand this important career opportunity and wholeheartedly support him.”
Koenig said the recruitment effort “will include all constituents — teachers, staff, administrators, families and students,” Koenig said.
“We are excited to be able to bring in new leadership to the district through a collaborative and thoughtful process,” she said.
The Shoreline Unified School District serves nearly 500 students at four elementary and middle schools and Tomales High School. The district straddles Marin and Sonoma counties and spans 450 square miles.