One-Year Contract Approved for Ramirez as SUSD Chief
February 9, 2021 at 6:27 pm
On Tuesday, the Stockton Unified Board of Education approved a one-year contract for John Ramirez Jr. as the district’s new interim superintendent. He will begin on February 26, replacing Brian Biedermann, who stepped down for health reasons.
The agreement also terminated a contract that Ramirez had with the district as an education consultant. Like previous interim superintendents, he will be paid $245,000 a year, along with a $500-a-month travel stipend.
The board voted 5-2 to approve the contract, with Trustees AngelAnn Flores and Candelaria Vargas dissenting. At points, the vote devolved into chaos, with multiple trustees shouting over each other.
Ramirez was formerly the superintendent in Alisal Union School District in Salinas from 2010 to 2016. He began after the district was taken over for academic failure and oversaw its return to local control. He also saw significant improvements in test scores during his time.
However, Ramirez’s record is not completely spotless. In 2013, he was fond to have misused district credit cards, including for restaurant meals and holiday purchases. (He later repaid Alisal for what he had spent). The following year, he was accused of sexual harassment by two female district employees.
The Stockton Unified superintendent position has unusually high turnover; Biedermann had only been in the position since June. The previous superintendent, John Deasy, lasted for less than two years before resigning in May 2020.
