New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment
Published: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:04 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:15 pm
José L. Banda, the newly appointed Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent, said today he will work to ensure that the district becomes more competitive in the face of falling enrollment, with an eye toward reversing the trend.
During a press conference at district headquarters in South Sacramento, Banda also said that he will put special emphasis on equality for minority and disadvantaged students – what he called “race and equity.” Minority students comprise about 80 percent of the district’s population, while nearly 70 percent of Sacramento City Unified students qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on low household income.
Banda, 57, arrives after having served for two years as superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. He spent the remainder of his career in California, including a four-year stint as head of the Anaheim City School District.
Board members voted 6-1 Thursday night to select Banda for the job, with only trustee Jay Hansen opposed. Banda’s three-year contract starts Aug. 1 and will provide him $290,000 yearly in total compensation. He replaces Jonathan Raymond, who left the district in December.
Sacramento City Unified is the only district in the region that remains on the state’s fiscal warning list, which officials attribute to a continued loss of students in future years.
While some of the trend can be blamed on an aging city population, the district’s traditional campuses are facing steeper competition from private and charter programs. In one case, Fruit Ridge Elementary School lost 400 students to a new Spanish immersion charter school two years before it closed in 2013.
On that point, Banda said Friday he aims to make the Sacramento district a better student draw.
“We’re going to have to make sure we’re very competitive with those around us,” he said. “WeNew Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee: