June 24, 2009 (San Francisco) SFUSD Superintendent Carlos Garcia and the Board of Education announce that Richard Carranza will serve as the new Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, Innovation and Social Justice.
A veteran in the education field, Carranza is currently the regional superintendent of the Northwest Region of the Clark County School District overseeing 60 schools and 58,000 students. Under his leadership, the regional district has made significant strides towards improving student achievement. These accomplishments include an increase in the number of middle schools and high schools making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and double digit reductions in the percentage of special education and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students performing below proficiency levels in mathematics and language arts.
"Having entered the public school system speaking only Spanish, I have experienced, first-hand, the transformational power of access and equity in providing a rich and rewarding education to all students - regardless of race, ethnicity, class and language," says Carranza. "I view this as a personal moral imperative and have committed myself to making the educational experiences of the students for whom I have responsibility, the path to full participation and access to the 'American Dream.'"
Superintendent Carlos Garcia said that there were 75 applicants for the deputy position, and the district conducted a national search after the former deputy, Tony Smith, accepted a position as superintendent of Oakland Unified in early June.
"Mr. Carranza stood out as being able to take our theory of action and make it real. He has site experience that uniquely positions him to know how to get things done at the school level," says Garcia.
Board President Kim-Shree Maufas echoes this sentiment. "It is apparent that he is genuinely interested in making our goals happen in San Francisco Unified. I look forward to introducing him to the community."
In addition to his work as a regional superintendent for one of the largest districts in the nation, Carranza has served as a school administrator and teacher of social studies, language arts and music. He is also an accomplished musician, specializing in Mariachi music, and he was once voted one of the "Twenty Most Influential Tucsonans in Music" by the Tucson Citizen.
Richard Carranza has two children, 8 and 12 years old.
He is set to begin no later than August 1, 2009. As the day-to-day instructional leader for the district, the Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, Innovation and Social Justice is responsible for developing and implementing the specific systems and structures that will close the achievement gap and raise academic achievement for all students as outlined in the SFUSD strategic plan, Beyond the Talk.
