Next SUSD Superintendent Search

The Stockton Unified School Board is starting the search process for yet another superintendent. The 14th in 17 years.

As a reminder, the superintendent is in charge of understanding the big picture of how a school district is performing, as well as the day to day details. It can take time for a superintendent to get up to speed and even longer for them to implement long term reform. Frequent changes at the top means that our district has lacked long-term vision and goals for nearly two decades.

That is why we believe it is vital for the community, staff, and students to engage and be involved in the process of our next superintendent search.

Here's how this process works: the SUSD Board put out a request for proposals from search firms that will help them recruit a permanent superintendent. These firms specialize in matching potential superintendents with school districts.

According to a recent article by the Stockton Record, there are currently three firms up for consideration. These firms vary in terms of their costs, levels of community engagement, and the timelines they set for their search. The SUSD Board did not take a vote on which firm they would ultimately select at the previous meeting, meaning there is still opportunity for us to influence the Board’s final decision.

A firm that prioritizes community, staff, and student engagement is important. But with four Board Members up for election next month, the timing of their recommendation is vital.

One of these firms has a timeline that would leave open the possibility that the current Board could choose the next Superintendent in December, regardless of the election results. We want to avoid that result.

Join us tomorrow, Friday October 14th, at 6PM during our in-person meeting. We will go over these firms, their proposals, and the current bylaws for choosing a superintendent. Together, we can decide our demands and our next steps.

This ship is not going to right itself. Join us tomorrow and help us break the revolving door of superintendents.