Copyright© 2006 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 19                   For Publication Date: December 1, 2006             No. 25

By the Way . . .
 

Bersin Will Leave Post as Secretary for Education. It has been announced by the Governor’s Office, Secretary for Education Alan Bersin will be leaving his position post haste for an appointment to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, if approved by the local city council. Bersin could begin the job as early as December.  

While serving as Secretary, he has maintained a home in the San Diego area with his wife and three children. This new position would return him to the area permanently. Secretary Bersin, it seems, has always had a knack for reinventing himself, opting to become Superintendent of San Diego City Schools, the second largest school district in the state, with no education background to speak of and serving the district for seven years. Prior to that, he served as the U.S. Attorney for San Diego and Imperial Counties, earning the nickname “the border czar” and tackling, among other things, the issue of immigration. 

He has served as Governor Schwarzenegger’s education advisor for approximately a year and a half, and accepted the position during the time when Governor Schwarzenegger was advocating his year of reform, while butting heads with the education community over education funding. At that time, Bersin was also appointed to the State Board of Education. It is unclear at this time whether he will remain on the Board. Secretary Bersin, who is currently out of the state, could not be reached for comment. 

Of his departure, the Governor stated, “I am proud of the accomplishments in public education my administration has made with Alan’s help—such as fully funding education, restoring vocational education, arts, music and physical education programs and continued student improvement on standardized test scores.” 

There is no word on his replacement at this time.  

Also departing from the Governor’s Office is Richard Costigan, the senior aide in charge of moving the Governor’s agenda through the Legislature. Staff changes at the beginning of a Governor’s second term are not unusual.