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San Diego Unified has a history of losing its superintendents, but at least they go on to do interesting things: Alan Bersin is Obama’s border czar. Terry Grier is heading up schools in Houston. And now Carl Cohn is on the state Board of Education.
The Sacramento Bee reports that new Governor Jerry Brown just chose Cohn as one of seven new people on the state board, which sets state policy for public schools. While Cohn has not been a controversial pick, the Bee reports that some of the other appointments, which have to be confirmed by the Senate, could be game-changers for the board:
The result is a shake-up on the board that sets policy for the state’s public schools, with the loss of a member who supported reforms — such as the “parent trigger” law that allows parents to overhaul low-performing schools — and the addition of a member from the California Teachers Association, which opposes such changes.
Cohn was seen as a peacemaker during his brief term at the top of San Diego Unified, trying to mend fences after Bersin’s turbulent tenure. But it wasn’t all rosy: Cohn clashed with the school board over their role and was criticized for less-than-stellar scores on his watch. It’ll be interesting to see what he does on the state board.
Please contact Emily Alpert directly at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5665 and follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/emilyschoolsyou.