SANTA ANA : Board, Parents Salute Departing Castruita
The governing board of the Santa Ana Unified School District has bid farewell to Supt. Rudy Castruita, praising his nine years of service to the district as outstanding.
“I will certainly miss Rudy’s guidance, intelligence and leadership,” Trustee Robert W. Balen said during the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday.
“I think (his) legacy is going to live on for many years” in the college work and careers of the 50,000 students he helped educate, he said.
A crowd of about 200 parents and community members offered Castruita a standing ovation during the board meeting, which was Castruita’s final one as superintendent.
He leaves the district today to become superintendent of schools for San Diego County.
During his tenure, the district’s dropout rate plummeted 45%, 10 campuses were named National Distinguished Schools and another 26 campuses received state Golden Bell awards for educational excellence.
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