The Sunnyside School District Governing Board named Steve Holmes the new superintendent following a closed-door session that stretched late into the night Thursday.
Holmes has been an educator for 20 years and currently serves as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Tucson Unified School District. He previously worked for Sunnyside in the same capacity for four years from 2009 to 2013.
He was approved by the Governing Board with a 3-2 vote. Members Eric Giffin and Becki Quintero voted no while Daniel Hernandez, Buck Crouch and Eva Carrillo Dong supported the hire.
Holmes, a Sunnyside alum, was up against Manny Valenzuela for the district’s top job.
Valenzuela has been in education for 26 years and currently serves as the superintendent of the Sahuarita Unified School District.
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The naming of a new leader caps off a national search after Tucson’s second largest school district ousted its former leader Manuel Isquierdo due to personal indiscretions and concerns over management, student academic performance and what was considered to be wasteful spending.
In the interim, Eugenia Favela has led the district of 17,600 students.
In addition to repairing a community fraught with mistrust, the district’s new leader will have to address longtime challenges with academic achievement.
Both Valenzuela and Holmes participated in meet-and-greet sessions with the Sunnyside community, sharing their experience, their vision for the district, and explaining how they intend to make Sunnyside a premiere district in the face of the existing challenges and continuous state budget cuts.
Holmes contract is for three years with a base salary of $150,000 a year. His official start date is July 1.Â
Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at ahuicochea@tucson.com or 573-4175. On Twitter: @AlexisHuicochea
