*(Via LA School Report) – After a three-month nationwide search, the LA Unified school board today kept it all in the family, naming Michelle King, a district teacher and administrator for nearly 30 years, to serve as its new superintendent. She succeeds Ramon Cortines whom she served as chief deputy until he stepped down last month.
The 54-year-old King becomes the first black female to ever run LAUSD and the first woman at the helm of the district since 1929.
“What an historic moment this is,” said board president Steve Zimmer in presenting King as the district’s new leader. “She is the daughter of our city, a student and graduate of LA Unified, a teacher from our schools, a principal, a leader of our community.”
King, who began her education career as a student aide at Palisades High in 1978, was chosen by a unanimous vote of the seven-member school board to run the second-largest school district in the country, serving 644,000 students with a budget of $12 billion.
“I want to be a role model for students who look like me,” said King, who right away ticked off a list of things she wants to accomplish, including keeping the district fiscally sound, expanding arts and music, doubling-down on college readiness and increasing parent engagement. Referring to other female black trailblazers, including US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and astronaut Mae Jemison, she added, “I hope to inspire all students to pursue their dreams.”
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