A Sausalito Marin City School District administrator has been selected to lead Mill Valley’s Park School.

David Finnane, principal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, will serve as interim principal for one year beginning on July 1. His salary has not yet been approved by the district board but will fall within $163,972 to $208,206 annually. The range is subject to an increase pending the addition of recent labor agreements, the district said.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Finnane to Park Elementary School,” Mill Valley superintendent Elizabeth Kaufman said. “His range of experience and passion for educating the whole child is a perfect match for the district.”

“Superintendent Kaufman’s vision for the district, combined with the unique opportunity for an interim principal role at Park Elementary, align with my career goals and retirement timeline,” Finnane said.

Finnane, throughout his career, “has remained deeply committed to fostering inclusive, supportive learning environments where every child can thrive, every voice is valued and every family feels welcomed,” Kaufman said.

Finnane, 61, a resident of San Anselmo, said he was “drawn to the Mill Valley School District because of its strong reputation for academic excellence and commitment to student-centered learning.”

Prior to his eight-year tenure at Sausalito Marin City School District, where he helped oversee a historic 2019 state desegregation order, Finnane spent 18 years in the Ross Valley School District.

At Ross Valley, Finnane served as principal of Brookside Elementary School and at White Hill Middle School, each for eight years. Prior to that, he was a teacher at Wade Thomas Elementary School for two years.

Finnane, the father of four children, will be introduced to parents and other members of the Park Elementary community at a reception on June 9.

“As both an educator and a parent, he understands the vital importance of strong school-family partnerships and is eager to build meaningful relationships with students, families, and staff here at Park,” Kaufman said.

Prior to the reception, Finnane will meet with Mill Valley staff, the board of trustees, and members of the administrative team, Kaufman said.

LaResha Huffman, superintendent of the Sausalito Marin City School District, said Monday that the district will miss Finnane.“While we are saddened by his departure, we are incredibly grateful for his years of dedicated service, unwavering support, and the care he has shown our students, staff, and families for the past eight years,” Huffman wrote in the district’s parent newsletter.

“We thank him for everything he has done to support, and we wish him the very best as he embarks on a new chapter,” Huffman said. “He will always be a part of the SMCSD family.”

Huffman said she is working with the Sausalito Marin City trustees to determine the path forward.

“If a selection committee is part of the process, we will ensure it includes a diverse group of stakeholders who reflect the voices of our entire community,” Huffman said.