SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

PRESS RELEASE

 

CONTACT:  Ralph Mechur, Board President    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

310.450.8338, ext. 241                                      30 JAN 2009

 

 

SMMUSD Board of Education to Appoint Tim Cuneo as New Superintendent

 

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education is scheduled to approve the appointment of Tim Cuneo as Superintendent of the District on Thursday, February 5, 2009. 

 

Mr. Cuneo is currently the Interim Superintendent of SMMUSD.  He has served as Interim Superintendent since July 2008, following the departure of Superintendent Dianne Talarico.

  

Board President Ralph Mechur echoed the sentiments of the entire Board in stating, “We are pleased to have Mr. Cuneo agree to lead our district for the next two and a half years.  He has brought stability to the district, which will help us to focus on important educational issues and continue the district’s efforts to close the achievement gap.” 

 

“Tim Cuneo has many years of experience in education and exemplifies the type of leadership required to maintain high educational standards in our school district,” added Board Vice President Barry Snell.  “We appreciate Mr. Cuneo’s commitment to working with all groups within the communities.”

 

Prior to joining SMMUSD in July, Cuneo served as senior partner with Cuneo-Zinner Group in San Jose, CA, specializing in organizational development for both public and private educational ventures. In 2007-08, he served as the Foreman pro tem for the Santa Clara County Grand Jury. Prior to that, Cuneo was Interim Superintendent for Scotts Valley Unified School District and Senior Executive Director for 21st Century Education Initiative as part of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network.  In his role with Joint Venture, Cuneo was responsible for all aspects of the highly successful public/ private partnership investing in K-12 school reform. 

 

From 1966 to 1996, he held numerous Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Dean of Curriculum and Instruction positions with Oak Grove, Whisman, Pajaro Valley Unified, and Fremont Union High School Districts. 

 

Cuneo is a former president of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).  In addition, he has served on a variety of boards from PACE (Policy Analysis for California Education), the Tech Museum of Innovation, Hewlett Packard Employee Scholarship Committee as well as the Xerox National Education Advisory Council.  Cuneo holds a BA in Biological Science from Chico State University, an MA in Counseling and Guidance from University of Santa Clara, and a California Administrative Credential from San Jose State University.          

 

About the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District serves approximately 10,500 students in grades K-12.  The District has sixteen schools; eleven elementary schools, two middle and two high schools, one continuation high school, and early childcare.  Santa Monica-Malibu Unified schools are ranked as some of the highest performing public schools in Los Angeles County. In partnership with families and the community, the mission of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is to promote extraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap.

 

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SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1651 16TH Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

ph: 310.450.8338; fax: 310.581.1138

www.smmusd.org