Merced City School Board appoints new superintendent
The Merced City School Board appointed a new superintendent Tuesday evening right after a months-long lookup.
The board chose former superintendent of the Winters Joint Unified University District, Diana Jimenez, to change outgoing interim superintendent Doug Collins, who is leaving at the finish of the faculty yr for a new position as the superintendent of the Chowchilla Elementary University District.
All but just one board member, Jessica Kazakos, voted to approve Jimenez’s work deal. Kazakos was the sole ‘no’ vote in the course of the Tuesday board meeting.
“I am honored and thrilled to have the possibility to serve the scholars and the community of Merced,” Jimenez mentioned by means of Zoom in the course of the meeting. “I have lived in the Central Valley about 20 minutes from Merced most of my daily life, and it feels like I’m coming residence.”
Jimenez, who claimed Tuesday night she is the daughter of immigrants in the Central Valley, analyzed English at Stanislaus Point out right before getting a Masters degree in Instructional Management and Administration from Brandman University, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is also pursuing a Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership at the College of Massachusetts World-wide, according to her profile and a push launch from the Merced Metropolis College District. She designs to full her doctorate in September.
The new superintendent will be paid $260,000 a 12 months and have a 2{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} yearly elevate, in accordance to her employment arrangement the board accepted Tuesday night. She is envisioned to start off July 1.
“She has the knowledge for which we’re searching,” said Birdi Olivarez-Kidwell, the Merced City Faculty Board president. “It’s all-encompassing. She’s labored with various groups of people today and has held distinguishing titles in the course of her occupation.”
As superintendent of the Winters Joint Unified University District, found west of Sacramento, she led the energy to safe a $600,000 grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation in 2021 and assisted assure the passage of a $19 million university bond, Evaluate W, in 2020.
The bond is intended to fork out for the construction of a new actual physical schooling and new music creating at Winters Substantial School, and a new transitional kindergarten setting up at Waggoner Elementary College, among other development and modernization projects at the two faculties, in accordance to the Winters Joint Unified School Board site.
Jimenez is the most current in a rapid succession of superintendents. Former deputy superintendent Collins has held the placement of interim superintendent for a number of months given that the final superintendent, Al Rogers, was accused by a district staff of sexual harassment and was put on depart by the university board past year. Inspite of his denial of the allegations, he later on resigned amid a district investigation.
The board agreed to spend him $15,000 as aspect of his resignation agreement, removing any potential litigation concerning Rogers and the university district. Rogers held the superintendent placement for considerably less than a 12 months right before the accusations surfaced. He changed longtime Merced Metropolis College District Superintendent RoseMary Parga Duran.
“I’m thrilled. It is been a extensive journey,” explained board member Allen Brooks. “I’m psyched about the foreseeable future and what we can do.”