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Dave Gordon is retiring next year as Superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\nThe Abridged version:<\/p>\n
New superintendents were selected for the Sacramento County Office of Education and Twin Rivers Unified School District. Some officials raised concerns that the appointments came just before new trustees take office.<\/p>\n
Representatives for the school district and county office said both search processes were thorough and not rushed.<\/p>\n
The new leader in Sacramento County will have her hands full overseeing Sacramento City Unified, which faces a mounting risk of insolvency.<\/p>\n
Two new Sacramento school superintendents were appointed Tuesday. The hires were each celebrated as deeply qualified and well suited for the role.<\/p>\n
But some questioned why the appointments came ahead of impending school board turnover, a week before recently elected trustees are slated to begin fresh terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe superintendent selected today will ultimately work alongside the board that serves tomorrow,\u201d Emmanuel Amanfor, trustee-elect for the Twin Rivers Unified School District, said earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is no urgent need to make an immediate decision,\u201d he continued, \u201cI encourage the board to consider \u2026 allowing incoming leadership to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current Twin Rivers Unified board moved ahead Tuesday with appointing Tu Moua Carroz. She will start her three-year contract July 1, at the same time Amanfor begins his four-year term.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Sacramento County Board of Education announced Jackie White as the next superintendent of Sacramento County schools, which include Sacramento City Unified School District. The decision came weeks before the county board gains potentially two new members.<\/p>\n
White, the first woman in the role, is expected to overlap with retiring longtime superintendent Dave Gordon for almost a year, until he retires next summer.<\/p>\n
Dave Gordon is retiring next year as Superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\n
\u2018It wasn\u2019t rushed\u2019<\/p>\n
Paul Keefer, who sits on the county education board, said the process of finding Gordon\u2019s successor began in earnest four months ago. <\/p>\n
Consultants hired by the board held public forums and distributed surveys. They conducted interviews and brought multiple candidates to trustees for consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process was fair; it was grounded,\u201d Keefer said. \u201cIt\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0rushed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keefer faced political newcomer Annie Fischer in his bid for reelection this year<\/a>. Their race is still too close to call with certainty, but Fischer has kept a narrow lead throughout recent results updates.<\/p>\n Not getting the chance to weigh in on the superintendent search makes for a less than warm welcome to the role, Fischer said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not great,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Double the cost<\/p>\n The appointment also sets leadership on the back foot with many of their employees, said Sean Frame, chief steward for California School Employees Association Chapter 480.<\/p>\n The union represents roughly 300 people, and members have been vocal with their objections for months.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were very much opposed to how fast they were moving,\u201d he said about the search process.<\/p>\n Plus, Frame said he couldn\u2019t believe the county office would be paying two superintendent salaries for a year. It\u2019s a cost he said he would have balked at during his nine years on the Placerville Union School District board.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a wild amount of time,\u201d Frame said.<\/p>\n White will start as superintendent Sept. 1, with a salary of $345,000. Gordon will stay on as a special advisor to the board. He did not respond to a question from Abridged clarifying whether he would still be taking a similarly sized salary<\/a> during that period.<\/p>\n Transition time<\/p>\n Both boards were guaranteed at least one new member, with longtime trustees opting for retirement over reelection.<\/p>\n Twin Rivers trustee Rebecca Sandoval is wrapping up 14 years on the North Sacramento school board. In her last meeting Tuesday, she said she appreciated getting to help select the next superintendent.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was real important to me,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n The process was also timed so that Moua Carroz would be able to start the job ahead of the 2026-27 school year, said Zenobia Gerald, a spokesperson for the district.<\/p>\n But officials outside the district still questioned the timing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m concerned about that new trustee not having a voice in who they\u2019re going to hire and work with,\u201d said Karina Talamantes, a Sacramento City Council member and former Sacramento County Board of Education member.<\/p>\n \u201cHiring a superintendent is so important,\u201d Talamantes added about both recent selections. \u201cHaving someone that\u2019s going to be there the next four years in the interview process is important for accountability, for transparency and for good governance.\u201d<\/p>\n Work ahead<\/p>\n Moua Carroz and White will both have their hands full in their new jobs.<\/p>\n![\"board](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC04722-e1782331988397-1024x651.jpg\")
Jackie White, left, was selected as the new superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education at a board meeting on June 23, 2026. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\n
![\"board](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC04751-1024x576.jpg.webp\")
Tu Moua Carroz was selected to be the new superintendent of Twin Rivers Unified School District on June 23, 2026. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\n