MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle Schools superintendent looking for new gig

Jun 20, 2014, 11:10 AM | Updated: 2:37 pm

Superintendent Jose Banda is a finalist for the Sacramento City Unified School District superintend...

Superintendent Jose Banda is a finalist for the Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent. (Photo: Seattle Public Schools)

(Photo: Seattle Public Schools)

Seattle Schools Superintendent Jose Banda is a finalist for the Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent.

“We have an outstanding school district and I am confident the fine work will continue,” Banda wrote in a letter to the public schools community on Thursday.

Banda was hired by the district in 2012. He said the move to California would put him closer to his family.

“I’m taking a pay cut to go to California,” Banda said Friday in a news conference.

His previous job was superintendent of the Anaheim City School District.

“Sacramento’s gain will be Seattle’s loss if Jose moves on,” said Sharon Peaslee, president of the Seattle Public School Board.

She said the board plans to quickly create a plan to “ensure continued stability for our district.” It’ll meet next week to talk about the next steps.

Peaslee went on to say that Banda played a key role in pulling the district together at a difficult time.

“He oversaw creation of the Strategic Plan that will guide our work for the next five years, and he pushed our district to ensure equity, access and opportunities for all of our students,” said Peaslee.

Banda replaced superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, who was fired in March 2011 over a $3 million financial scandal involving Silas Potter.

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