News in Brief
Los Angeles Names New Superintendent
Deasy Led Maryland District, Worked for Gates Foundation
John E. Deasy, a former education official with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and now a deputy superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, was chosen last week to take over leadership of the district when the current superintendent steps down in April.
The board of the 678,000-student district voted 6-0 to approve Mr. Deasy, with one member abstaining. His three-year contract will pay him $330,000 annually.
Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, did not go through a formal search before choosing Mr. Deasy. His selection is not considered to be a surprise, however: Soon after the current superintendent, Ramon C. Cortines, announced in July that he would retire this spring, he vacated his larger office so Mr. Deasy could move in.
But United Teachers Los Angeles, the local teachers’ union, said the school board should have held a national search for the next superintendent. “The current closed-door decisionmaking process for selecting the education leader of the second-largest district in the country does a disservice to the students, parents, and employees,” said Joshua Pechthalt, a union representative.
Before joining the district in August, Mr. Deasy was the deputy director of education for the Seattle-based Gates Foundation. He also has served as the superintendent of the 128,000-student Prince George’s County, Md., district, and he was a graduate of the Los Angeles-based Broad Superintendents Academy, which is well known for preparing both educators and noneducators to lead urban districts. He began his career as a teacher at the high school and college level.
Mr. Deasy, 50, will be leading the Los Angeles schools through a serious financial crunch as superintendent. The district faces a $142 million deficit this year.
This district is facing profound challenges in the form of a major state economic crisis, which results in a monumental educational crisis, but I believe theres hope, Mr. Deasy said.
Vol. 30, Issue 17, Page 4
Access selected articles, e-newsletters and more!
Viewed
Emailed
Recommended
Commented
Sponsored Whitepapers
• Best Practices in Information Management, Reporting and Analytics for Education
- Common Core Literacy Assessment Developer - Part Time
- The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, New York, NY
- Instructional Leadership Director
- ALBANY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, Albany, NY
- Train Brilliant Math Students
- Art of Problem Solving, San Diego, CA
- Chief Financial Officer
- Hernando County School Board, Brooksville, FL
- Principal - Chicago Metro Area West
- The Menta Group, Hillside, IL



We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.