Quick look: The Cypress School District Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Grant Litfin, currently Tustin Unified School District’s assistant superintendent of administrative services, as its next superintendent. He will assume the role July 1 following the retirement of Superintendent Anne Silavs.
The Cypress School District Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Grant Litfin as the district’s next superintendent, according to a district announcement.
Litfin currently serves as assistant superintendent of administrative services for the Tustin Unified School District, where he has been part of the district leadership team since 2012. He is scheduled to assume his new role July 1, succeeding Superintendent Anne Silavs, who announced her retirement earlier this year after more than a decade leading the district.
According to the district, Litfin was selected following a search process that included input from teachers, classified employees, administrators, parents and community members.
His career in education includes service as a classroom teacher, middle school administrator, high school principal and district administrator. Prior to joining Tustin Unified, he served as principal of Los Alamitos High School and held teaching and administrative positions in the Torrance Unified School District.
Leadership experience
The district said Litfin has led initiatives involving curriculum and instruction, district operations, technology, facilities, student support services and fiscal management. It also noted that he helped secure more than $40 million in grant funding for technology, safety and facilities projects throughout his career.
In 2019, Litfin was named California Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California.
“I am honored to serve as the next superintendent of Cypress School District,” Litfin said in a statement released by the district. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, staff, families and community partners to build upon the district’s strengths.”
Litfin will take over leadership of the district from Interim Superintendent Dr. Tim McLellan, who was appointed earlier this year following Silavs’ retirement announcement. McLellan previously served as the district’s assistant superintendent of business services before retiring in 2025.
According to the California Department of Education, the district serves approximately 3,170 students in preschool through sixth grade and operates six elementary schools in the city of Cypress.