News Update

Grand jury says it’s Stockton Unified board’s fault superintendents won’t stay

Stockton Unified’s school board is to blame for the constant turnover of superintendents in the school district, according to a grand jury report released Wednesday.

The 2020-21 San Joaquin County Grand Jury launched an investigation into the school district after it received numerous complaints from members of the public and reviewed media accounts of conflicts within the district, according to a press release from the grand jury.

The district has had 14 superintendents — interim and permanent — in the last 30 years, according to the Stockton Record. The average tenure has been 19 months. The district has had three superintendents in the last year, according to the newspaper.

The constant change in leadership at the district has made it impossible to increase student achievement in the district, according to the grand jury. It also has made it possible for board members to act inappropriately and to sometimes exceed the limits of their authority, according to the report.

The grand jury is recommending that the school board publicly commit to change, adhere to standards of governance and provide transparency and accountability to the public.