Ramona school district names superintendent
RAMONA
Brian Thurman, acting superintendent of the Calexico Unified School District, has been selected as the new superintendent of Ramona Unified School District, officials announced.
Thurman, 52, replaces Theresa Grace, who is retiring on June 30 after three years as superintendent. Thurman starts July 1.
Daryn Drum, president of the Ramona Unified school board, introduced Thurman at the school board meeting June 9.
Drum said Thurman was selected from a pool of roughly 20 applicants, some of whom were out-of-state candidates. The San Diego County Office of Education conducted the search and the five Ramona school board members interviewed Thurman twice before they unanimously agreed to hire him May 27, Drum said.
Thurman, the Calexico district’s assistant superintendent of Human Resources and Risk Management for three years, was appointed acting superintendent on April 7. A new superintendent, Arturo Jimenez, has been selected and will start in the position on July 1, Thurman said.
Before working in Calexico, Thurman was principal of Riverview International Academy in the Lakeside Union School District for three years and executive director of Arroyo Paseo Charter High School in San Diego for six years. Prior to that he was director of education for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and served as director of Human Resources at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
He has a doctorate in educational leadership from USC, a master’s in education from Cal State Fullerton and a bachelor’s in sociology from Point Loma Nazarene University.
At the board meeting, Ramona trustees unanimously approved his three-year contract and salary — $210,000 starting July 1, increasing to $217,000 in July 2023 and $224,000 in July 2024.