Sacramento County Superintendent of Education David Gordon announced his retirement effective June 2027.
Gordon has led Sacramento’s County Office of Education for 21 years and has more than 46 years in education.
He worked 14 years at Elk Grove Unified, serving as its superintendent between 1995 and 2004. He also worked 17 years for the California Department of Education before he joined Elk Grove as deputy superintendent.
Before coming to California, Gordon worked as a schoolteacher in New York City.
“I’d like to thank the Sacramento and Elk Grove communities for welcoming me and my wife,” he said. “We came here from across the country knowing no one, but these communities embraced us as we made this our home and raised our two children here.”
Gordon, 79, said he has had a wonderful career and he is honored to work with so many dedicated educators, leaders and community members who work to serve students.
“In each of my roles, I sought to foster a climate of partnership and teamwork, based on my belief that we are always stronger and more innovative together,” he said. “I am proud that we launched many new approaches to our work with young people and their families — too many to go into here and most of them not my idea alone.”
He also said he announced the retirement earlier to ensure the Sacramento Board of Education had time to search for his successor and ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Board member Vanessa Caigoy said Gordon’s leadership, collaboration and commitment to equity left an indelible mark in the Sacramento community.
“I am grateful for the strong teams and systems he has built and wish him the very best in this next chapter of his life. At the same time, I am excited for what this transition means for the Sacramento County Office of Education — the opportunity to usher in a new era of innovation, inclusion, and continued excellence,” she said.
Caigoy said she hopes the next superintendent will be dynamic and someone who doesn’t care about the status quo. She wants someone who is also culturally responsive, listens deeply and leads with both empathy and urgency especially after reviewing student data around literacy and other subjects.
“This process should also be inclusive. I am eager to hear from our SCOE staff, families, and community partners about the qualities they believe will make the next superintendent truly transformative,” she said. “It takes a village to build the future our students deserve — and part of my role as trustee is ensuring that village has a voice.”
Before Gordon departs, he plans to continue working on solutions sought following the release of the Black Student Landscape Analysis in June. SCOE worked with community leaders and examined data since fall 2023, which showed Black students in most local school districts struggling with low test scores, high absenteeism, high expulsion and suspension rates while also facing racism in their schools.
“We will be working with all of our 13 school districts to try to get them to adopt a number of those suggestions and practices and we’ll see if it makes a difference,” Gordon said.
Caigoy said the school board has been intentional about ensuring that recommendations from the Black Student Landscape Analysis are implemented.
“Within the first six weeks of this school year, our school leaders developed action plans — directed by the board resolution, outlining how they will implement these recommendations in each of our schools,” Caigoy said.
She also said in June, after the analysis was revealed, that the board worked to make sure staff also had embedded key best practices into control and accountability methods to ensure ongoing accountability and progress monitoring. The board will review updates on action steps in February.
“Looking ahead, our next priority should be continued outreach, working with the 13 other districts and their boards in Sacramento County to encourage them to adopt and implement the report’s recommendations to better support Black students countywide,” Caigoy said.
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