The Orange County Board of Education has selected Stefan Bean to serve as the county’s new superintendent, replacing longtime superintendent Al Mijares who is retiring at the end of June.
Bean, who most recently worked as the executive director of Irvine International Academy, will complete the remainder of Mijares’ term, which ends in early January 2027. He could also run for a full four-year term in 2026 as an incumbent.
Bean’s belief, according to his website, is to “unleash the potential in every student through an inclusive and rigorous education, rooted in the empathy for all scholars and 21st-century competencies.” Bean has said he supports parents’ choice to select their children’s school and backs the idea of using public funding for students to attend any school of their choice, including private schools.
Bean ran for the superintendent position against Mijares in 2022, but ultimately lost. Then, board members Tim Shaw, Lisa Sparks, Ken Williams, Mari Barke and Linda Lindholm endorsed Bean.
Other than Irvine International Academy, Bean has served as the superintendent and associate superintendent of Aspire Public Schools in Los Angeles as well as a principal at Gateway and Firestone Academies and Cornerstone Charter School.
As superintendent, Bean will manage the Department of Education’s programs and services, provide fiscal oversight for the county’s school districts, ensure textbooks and other instructional materials are available and oversee schools under OCDE’s umbrella.
The OCBE unanimously voted to appoint Bean as Orange County’s superintendent on Tuesday, June 18. Bean was sworn in at the meeting and will officially take the post on July 3.
“We now have a superintendent who will take over and bridge the discord and division, and will lead us with great experience, grace and charity,” Trustee Ken Williams said as he nominated Bean as the board’s choice for superintendent.
The OCBE also voted to approve Bean’s compensation, which according to the agenda report, will equate to the same salary as Mijares — $300,000 annually, excluding the benefits package.
In all, six candidates interviewed for the position.
Among the contenders was Ramon Miramontes, who has filled in as acting superintendent for Mijares since August 2023. Miramontes started working for the department in March 2023 in a newly created deputy superintendent position where he has overseen educational and instructional programs.
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Mijares has been on medical leave since August 2023 and had hoped to return, but ultimately announced his retirement and cancer diagnosis in late April. While on medical leave, Mijares was still involved in decisions affecting the organization, primarily in an advisory capacity.
Mijares’ official last day will be June 30, OCDE spokesperson Ian Hanigan said.
Typically, the superintendent position is voted on by residents, but due to the mid-term absence, it was filled by the OCBE.