As the school board for the Firebaugh/Las Deltas Unified School District begins the search for a new superintendent, they have called on a veteran educator to lead the district in the meantime.
RoseMary Duran is now at the helm of the school district that educates approximately 2,400 students as the interim superintendent. Roy Mendiola was recently released from his post by the school board.
Duran is a well-known educator in the Central Valley, having spent 35 years as an educator in Merced County. She spent 12 years as the superintendent of the Merced City School District, overseeing 14 elementary schools and four middle schools. After retiring in 2020, she has stayed active, serving as the interim superintendent of the nearby Dos Palos-Oro Loma School district, a post she held for about five months.
Her husband, Ben Duran, also an educator, was the longtime president of Merced College.
She told The Express that her main goal is to “maintain the status quo” and prepare for a smooth transition to the new permanent superintendent.
“I am looking forward to leading this district and working with the staff,” she explained. “I was so impressed with the graduation and promotion ceremonies that were held for the various schools. Now we have a goal to open the new school year smoothly and get every child back in school.”
She said the other goal will be to have the new leader on the job hopefully by November.
Besides the superintendent, the district will also need to hire an assistant superintendent, a post that was vacant for most of the 2024-25 school year.
But Duran explained that it should be up to the new superintendent to make that selection.
“The new leader should make that selection, since he or she will be working closely with that individual,” she explained. “They need to have someone they will feel comfortable with.”
As the district prepares for the new school year, the school site leadership teams are pretty much in place. Mason Rodman returns as Firebaugh High’s principal with Elizabeth Lopez and Ashley Gutierrez serving as the learning directors. After eight years as the FHS athletic director, Kacy Jones will turn the job over to Joey Ochoa, who just finished up his first season as the varsity baseball coach.
Sara Corral will be the new principal at Firebaugh Middle School and will be assisted by learning directors Edgar Navarro-Kelly and Pamela Serna.
Tracey Mason is the principal at Mills Intermediate and the Guidance Instruction Advisors are Lizett Jacobo and Jose Sandoval. At Bailey Primary, Mayra Magallanes will serve as principal and Margie Knight and Elizabeth Parrish will be the GIAs.
One position yet to be filled is at the Alternative Education Department, where longtime principal Terry Anderson has retired.
One very strong point the district has going for them is in regards to finances, according to Duran.
“The school district is in excellent shape, financially,” she said. “We have a very sound budget.” Duran was raised in the Merced County community of Planada and graduated from Le Grand High. She attended Merced College, Fresno State, and Cal State Stanislaus. She also earned a Doctorate from the University of Southern California.
