By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter
Palisadian Austin Beutner was elected superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District amid concerns of a lack of experience in education.
Beutner, 58, will replace Michelle King who went on medical leave in September due to a battle with cancer.
The 5-2 vote that awarded Beutner the $350,000 position came over Vivian Ekchian, who had been serving as interim superintendent since King’s departure.
“I am excited to work with our new superintendent to set our district on a path toward financial stability so that we can get more dollars back in the classroom and usher in a much-needed emphasis on local control,” Nick Melvoin, LAUSD District 4 representative, said in a statement.
In the past, Beutner has served on the LA Unified Advisory Task Force and is the founder of Vision to Learn, a nonprofit organization that provides children with
vision screenings, eye exams and glasses.
He was also deputy mayor of Los Angeles under Antonio Villaraigosa and was interim director of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power before becoming publisher and chief executive of the Los Angeles Times for one year.
As he gets settled in, one of Beutner’s first tasks will be dealing with a 24-hour strike planned for May 15, as school bus drivers and teachers assistants protest what they call unfair labor practices.
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