Hanson says he's staying put
A hot rumor swirling through Fresno Unified School District has Superintendent Michael Hanson trying to land the top position in San Diego Unified.
I wouldn't blame Hanson for trying. San Diego is a great city, his wife has family there and some teachers union activists are trying to chase him out of Fresno. Fanning the rumor: Hanson, as well as district trustees, will attend a conference in San Diego this week.
But Hanson dismissed the speculation during an interview with Bee reporter Pablo Lopez on Tuesday..
"I am not a candidate for the San Diego job," Hanson said.
The superintendent also said the rumor was distracting the district from its mission of raising test scores and ensuring that every Fresno Unified student gets a good education.
"We don't want to lose our focus," Hanson said.
Fresno Unified trustees recently unanimously approved a positive evaluation of Hanson's performance. The board's action extended Hanson's contract -- which includes an annual salary of $205,000 plus benefits -- to June 30, 2011.
The San Diego board will announce its choice for superintendent Dec. 18. The San Diego job pays $250,000 annually.
Comments:
I wouldn't be surprised if he moves on in a few years. He wouldn't be the first one to use FUSD as a stepping-stone (ala Carlos Garcia), but this seems a bit too soon for him to even think about moving on. The District's finances are in much better shape than when he arrived. That's partly due to better stewardship by his administration, and partly due to the improved State financial situation the last few years. But we have yet to see if he can turn things around academically. It would be premature for him to leave with that job left unfinished.
As for the teachers union, he'll get that almost anywhere. And some school districts have other problems to deal with that Fresno doesn't. So it's probably best for him to stay put for a few more years.
As for the rumors, I'm sure there are a lot of other school superintendents attending that California School Boards Association convention, too.
Posted by: Mike D. at November 30, 2007 2:32 PM
Santiago Wood interviewed for the San Diego job but wasn't selected. Thank goodness for the students and staff there - what were they thinking???
Posted by: Fresense at December 7, 2007 11:28 AM
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