Monday, January 04, 2016

S.F. SUPERINTENDENT DENIES REPORTS THAT HE IS TOP CANDIDATE FOR LAUSD LEADERSHIP POST


San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent  Richard A. Carranza (Mike Koozmin/S.F. Examiner 2015)

San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Richard A. Carranza (Mike Koozmin/S.F. Examiner 2015)
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Richard Carranza told the San Francisco Examiner that while he’s “flattered” to be named among the speculative candidates for LAUSD superintendent, he’s “committed” to staying in San Francisco.

“At the end of the day…we’re doing some really incredible work in San Francisco,” Carranza said. “We’re aligned, the Board [of Education] and I – I’m not interested in giving that up…I am committed to remaining in San Francisco.”

Carranza’s name appeared in articles published by the Los Angeles Times as a candidate for the job as recently as Monday. However, no names of any candidates have been disclosed by the Los Angeles school district, a district spokesperson told the Examiner on Monday.

Carranza confirmed that he was contacted by the executive search firm Haggard, Young, Attea & Associates about the position, but said he has no interviews scheduled with the Los Angeles Board of Education, which will select the next superintendent.

Carranza also noted he recognizes the significance of the position. Los Angeles is the largest school district in California, and the second largest in the U.S. after New York.

“Los Angeles is an important school district in California because it’s so big, but it’s also big in the nation,” Carranza said. “What happens in Los Angeles reverberates in all of our school districts in California.”

Carranza’s tenure as superintendent in San Francisco began in 2012 after he served as the SFUSD’s deputy superintendent of instruction, innovation and social justice for three years. Prior to that, he held the role of Northwest Region Superintendent for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, and worked as a high school principal in Las Vegas, Nev., and Tucson, Ariz., where he founded a mariachi music program as a teacher in 1992.

In San Francisco, Carranza is known for his push for technology and restorative practices in schools, among other advancements. In 2014, Carranza helped the district and teachers union to reach a new contract agreement that included a 12 percent pay raise over three years for teachers – one of the largest recent contracts for an urban school district in the state. Such accomplishments are among those why Carranza said he has no plans to leave The City.

“I’m really excited about the work we’re doing in San Francisco,” Carranza said.

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