COLUSA, CA (MPG) — The Colusa County Office of Education board selected Deputy Superintendent of Student Services Charles Wayman on Nov. 12 to serve as county superintendent for the next year. He fills the gap between the retirement of Mike West and the election of a new superintendent.
Wayman said he plans to seek the office in the next regular election, viewing this year as both a transition and an opportunity.
“My intent is to pull papers and run for the Superintendent’s office,” Wayman said. “I never set out to do this, but I see that I can have an impact on improving the services we are giving to the community and to our districts.”
Wayman began his career with the County Office in 2004 as a special education teacher at the high school level in Arbuckle. In 2015, he became director of special education. He later moved into the role of assistant superintendent of special education, serving in that leadership post until 2021. He now oversees children’s services, educational services and special education as deputy superintendent, and in recent years has also served as the SELPA director.
A Colusa County native, Wayman grew up in Arbuckle and returned after college. He still lives in the county and his children attend local schools, a fact he said shapes his view of the work.
“I am proud to be from here,” he said. “I like the people I work with and the programs we are doing.”
Wayman said he has three immediate priorities as he steps into the role. First, he wants to learn the business flow in other divisions such as human resources, administrative services, business and technology. Second, he plans to meet with each district superintendent to hear how the County Office can better support local schools. Finally, he wants to focus on stabilizing special education costs, which he said have risen over the past five years as student needs have grown more complex following COVID.
“The level of need has gone up, which increases the dollar amount districts have to pay,” Wayman said. “We have been advocating for full funding, but we do not have that yet, so we need to look at other avenues while things level off.”
He acknowledged that a challenge will be that many people will compare him to West.
“I am a different person,” he said, noting the learning curve involved in responsibilities West currently handles and the need to separate himself from the departments he previously led as he shifts into a broader role.
Looking ahead, Wayman said he wants to expand support for students who struggle but do not qualify for special education, and to strengthen social-emotional learning and mental health services for districts. He said the County Office is already working on a project in that area and he hopes to grow the mental health program over the next two to five years by embedding staff in schools.
Adult education will also remain a focus. Wayman said staff is studying options such as cosmetology and barber training and working with local unions to identify trade needs related to the Sites Project, including career fairs at the County Office building in Williams.
Wayman said his approach, if voters choose him to continue in the position in June 2026, will center on “focusing on the districts first, and then the community needs through our adult education program and our preschool programs,” while keeping his ties to Colusa County at the heart of his work.