Gilroy
– Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday appointed a former Gilroy
schools superintendent to the state Board of Education.
Ken Noonan, 64, served as Gilroy Unified School District
superintendent from 1984 to 1997 before becoming superintendent of
the Oceanside Unified School District, where he currently
serves.
Gilroy – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday appointed a former Gilroy schools superintendent to the state Board of Education.
Ken Noonan, 64, served as Gilroy Unified School District superintendent from 1984 to 1997 before becoming superintendent of the Oceanside Unified School District, where he currently serves.
The 11-member board, whose members are all appointed by the governor, sets policy for schools statewide for the California Department of Education, adopts textbooks for elementary- and middle-school students, and adopts regulations to implement new legislation.
“The governor wants to make sure all kids in California can get to the starting line equally and that starts with a quality education. Superintendent Noonan … share(s) his commitment to improving California schools,” said Julie Soderlund, Schwarzenegger spokeswoman.
Noonan will continue as Oceanside superintendent while he serves his four-year term. The position requires Senate confirmation.
The board of education meets once a month for two days, and Noonan will receive $100 for each day of meetings.
Noonan began his career in education teaching English and social studies at a junior high and high school in the Los Angeles area in 1966, and previously served as superintendent of the Corcoran Unified School District.
During his tenure in Oceanside, test scores have climbed sharply and schools have marched closer to reaching the state’s goal on the Academic Performance Index.
Noonan is a self-described convert in support of English immersion, in which schools teach students in English. He was founding president of the California Association of Bilingual Educators in 1973, but later witnessed the improved student achievement credited to English immersion after bilingual programs were ended with the passage of Proposition 227 in 1998.
In a statement released Thursday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell praised the appointment of Noonan, and Yvonne Chan, principal of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Los Angeles.
