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New superintendent named

Cory Fisher

The board of trustees for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District announced its unanimous approval Friday for the appointment of Rich Alexander as superintendent.

Effective July 12, Alexander will replace Rich Fischer, who has accepted the superintendent’s position for the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Rich is going to be spectacular,” said Fischer. “As assistant superintendent he already knows the district and has been involved in many important changes. He’s very focused on kids and their achievement.”



According to board president David Kurtzman, the board received supportive recommendations from a broad base of district personnel for Alexander’s appointment, citing the need to maintain continuity of the district’s ongoing projects and goals.

Kurtzman listed modernization projects, class size reduction and interest-based bargaining for staff salaries as examples.



“Rich is already deeply involved in all facets of the district – he is highly regarded throughout the administration,” said Kurtzman. “Surveys show the community feels the district is running well – it makes sense to continue in the same direction.”

Alexander has served as assistant superintendent for the past three years and has been instrumental in developing academic standards and assessments for all grade levels.

He moved to Tahoe in 1989 when he was hired as principal at South Tahoe Middle School. During his five years there, the school earned “Distinguished School” status from the state for exemplary academic performance, a Golden Bell award from the California School Boards Association and national recognition for school-to-career programs.

Having earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and a master’s degree from Stanford, Alexander began teaching for the Cupertino Union School District where he served as a teacher and principal. He went on to become a high school administrator for the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District before moving to Tahoe.

“I’m absolutely honored and excited,” said Alexander. “This is an incredible district – I’m looking forward to the future and making the district even better.”

The assistant superintendent position has been posted within the district and throughout the state, said Alexander. A process utilizing both staff and community input will be used in making candidate recommendations to the superintendent. The board anticipates filling the assistant superintendent position by Aug 1.


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