Montecito Schools Pick New Superintendents

Starting July 10, Adams Elementary School Principal Amy Alzina — long considered a rising star at Santa Barbara Unified School District — will be the new superintendent of Cold Spring School, a small public elementary in Montecito. Alzina, who served at Adams for eight years, replaces Tricia Price, who headed up Cold Spring for six years. Price said she will remain active in Santa Barbara’s educational circles.

In related news, Montecito’s other public elementary, Montecito Union School, is saying farewell to Superintendent Tammy Murphy, who has accepted a position as Head of School of Dubai American Academy-Nations, a private K-12 in Al Barsha. Murphy and her family leave the U.S. on July 5, after one last Montecito Village Fourth of July parade, she said. Murphy will be replaced by Anthony Ranii, who’s relocating from the Bay Area’s Hillsborough City School District, where students have performed in the top one percent statewide under this leadership. Ranii and his wife, Lindsay, have two older children and will have a daughter in kindergarten next year at MUS. He starts July 17.