Huntington Beach : High School District Selects Superintendent

Lawrence Kemper, an assistant superintendent in Garden Grove Unified School District, has been chosen as the new superintendent for the Huntington Beach Union High School District, the board of trustees announced Wednesday. The appointment is effective Sept. 1.

Kemper will succeed Marie Otto, who announced her plans to retire earlier this year.

Kemper, 51, who lives in Huntington Beach, was superintendent of the Huntington Beach City (elementary) School District for seven years before going to Garden Grove in 1986.

A graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles, Kemper received his master’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles. His doctorate degree, in district organization with a special emphasis on secondary education, is from USC.

A 30-year veteran of teaching and school administration, Kemper began his career as a teacher and then as an assistant principal in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He then moved to the La Canada Unified School District as a principal and administrator. He was superintendent of the Palmdale School District before taking over the Huntington Beach elementary district.

Huntington Beach Union High School District governs Edison, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Marina, Huntington Beach, Ocean View and Wintersburg Continuation high schools. Kemper’s salary as superintendent will be $80,000 a year.