After a search for Grossmont Union High School District’s next superintendent, the GUHSD Governing Board named Mike Fowler as its finalist to replace retiring Superintendent Mary Beth Kastan. The Board is expected to approve an offer of employment to Fowler at its May 9 Governing Board meeting. He will assume duties as superintendent on July 1.
“Mike Fowler’s proven track record of outstanding instructional leadership, both as Principal of our largest high school and as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, made him the clear choice to lead our District forward as we work to set a new standard for high-quality educational programs,” said GUHSD Board President Rob Shield in a press release. “Further, Mr. Fowler is widely known as a deeply caring person, and his fierce and unwavering commitment to providing every student with a path to success is evident in any conversation with him. That is why he stood out among the field of highly qualified candidates and why we know we have made the right choice for the students, families, and staff of our District.”
Fowler said to be selected as superintendent for a district whose families and staff he has come to know over the past 28 years is a “tremendous honor and humbling responsibility.”
“I’m grateful for the trust that our Governing Board has placed in me to lead our over-3,000 caring staff members whose dedication to empowering each of our students to build the best future is unyielding,” Fowler stated.
Fowler’s career in education began as an English, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, and Computer Applications teacher at Helix High School. He then served as GUHSD’s Applied Learning Curriculum Specialist and then as an Assistant Principal at Granite Hills and El Capitan High Schools before being named Principal at Granite Hills in 2013. As Principal,
Mr. Fowler strengthened Granite Hills’s reputation as an academic powerhouse by earning a California Distinguished School recognition, a ranking among U.S. News and World Report’s “Best American High Schools,” and a spot on the Washington Post’s list of “Most Challenging High Schools.”
Fowler graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and initially went into banking. After five years, however, Mr. Fowler chose to pursue a career in education, which he believed to be his true calling. He then returned to SDSU to earn his teaching credential. He later earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and his Administrative Services credential from SDSU.
