After a monthlong search and two days of interviews, the Ventura County Board of Education chose a county schools superintendent Saturday, naming a local administrator to the top spot.

Without discussing any other candidate, the board appointed Stan Mantooth, associate superintendent of administrative services in the Ventura County Office of Education and its chief financial and business officer.

Mantooth, 57, of Camarillo, will replace Charles Weis, who left in June to take the Santa Clara County superintendent position, and will fill the post until Weis' term ends in 2010 and an election is held. Mantooth then plans to run for the seat.

His first job in education was as a custodian in the Las Virgenes Unified School District while going to college in the late 1970s. Back then, he said he would never have dreamed of becoming county superintendent.

"It's amazing sometimes ... what events dictate and circumstances allow," Mantooth said, after finding out about the appointment Saturday. "I never take anything for granted. I was pleasantly surprised."

Mantooth moved up through classified job positions such as plant manager and maintenance director and later was named assistant superintendent of business services in the Oak Park Unified School District. He has been an associate superintendent in the county office for 11 years, and he also teaches university classes in district administration.

Trustees set Mantooth's starting date as Sept. 1 and annual salary at $185,000 — bumping the salary $8,000 higher than what Weis received in the position, which was considered low compared to salaries offered in other, similar county offices.

Mantooth said he likely wouldn't have his own successor in place by the time he takes over as county superintendent, but said the office "will not miss a beat" financially.

In his interview, Mantooth told trustees that he saw the county office as a high-functioning organization and said that he would want to continue to refine its successful programs. He would be a strong advocate for the county at the local, state and federal level, he said, and focus on pragmatic change.

Mantooth plans to spend time in schools to stay connected to the classroom. He also wants to be a leader in finding ways to increase understanding among those who work on the financial side of schools and those focusing on instruction.

After the interviews, Trustee Marty Bates made the motion to appoint Mantooth to the position. The biggest problem facing education in the foreseeable future will be financial, Bates said, and while the candidates were all excellent, he supported Mantooth to lead the county office.

Trustee Mary Louise Peterson quickly agreed, later saying that Mantooth "knows this community" and "has dedication to this community."

The board interviewed eight finalists during public meetings Friday and Saturday, a list screened and selected by Bates, Peterson and a consultant hired by trustees to help with the search.

Candidates announced Monday were: Patrick Ainsworth, assistant superintendent and division director at the California Department of Education in Sacramento; Cary Dritz, associate superintendent of student services for the Ventura County Office of Education; Leslie Frank, principal of Sinaloa Middle School in Simi Valley; John Fitzpatrick, superintendent in residence at Pepperdine University in Malibu; David Gomez, superintendent of the Santa Paula Union High School District; Edward Lee Vargas, superintendent in residence of the Stupski Foundation in Mill Valley; and Linda Wagner, superintendent of the Keppel Union School District in Pearblossom.

Frank, a principal in Simi Valley for 18 years and a former special education teacher and program administrator in Los Angeles County, got the biggest reaction from the local community. Some questioned whether a principal would be qualified to move into the county superintendent position, while the League of United Latin American Citizens took issue with her husband.

LULAC officials accused Stephen Frank, a former officer with the California Republican Party and author of a controversial political Web site and newsletter, of "divisive conduct" and said they were concerned about a possible negative influence on Latino children if Leslie Frank was appointed as county schools superintendent.

Others spoke in support of Leslie Frank, including Michelle Scharf, PTA president in Simi Valley, who called her a strong leader with a proactive attitude. She said she has known Leslie Frank since 1992 when she became principal of her children's school and never knew her to represent any of the concerns that her critics had raised. Trustees also defended Frank during her interview, criticizing those who "attacked" her based on her husband's views or actions.

During her interview, Frank said it was a gutsy move for her to apply for the position, and that she trusted the board to make the decision on whether she would make the best leader of the county office. She said politics was her husband's passion, not hers, and it has not played a role in her job in education.

The board's initial vote to appoint Mantooth to the post was split 3-2, with board president Chris Valenzano and trustee Dean Kunicki dissenting. Both later said they support Mantooth's leading the county office, and their "no" votes were not against him, but in favor of having more discussion about all the candidates.

Bates called for a second vote to show unanimous support for Mantooth, and it passed.

Weis had recommended Mantooth or Dritz to be his successor. County office employees also have urged trustees to appoint one of the two internal candidates.

When reached by phone Saturday, Weis said he thought the board made a good decision in hiring Mantooth. He is conscientious, Weis said, he knows the office and "he will hit the ground running."

A meeting set for Monday morning to make a final decision on the post was cancelled.