Zacarias Named to Interim Position
Ruben Zacarias, who served for 2 1/2 years as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District until late 1999, has been named interim superintendent of the Inglewood Unified School District.
Zacarias, 73, said he expects to hold the job for only a month or two until a nationwide search for a new Inglewood superintendent is successful. “Hopefully, I can keep things stabilized until the new superintendent is hired,” he said.
He replaces Leonard Osborne, who was named interim superintendent in December. Osborne will return to his former post as assistant superintendent of human resources.
Zacarias is the fourth interim superintendent of the 17,877 - student district since July 2002, when Supt. James Harris resigned to head a Michigan school district.
In 1999, the Los Angeles school board bought Zacarias out of the remainder of his contract for $750,000 after criticism of his leadership, particularly over troubled construction of the Belmont Learning Center.
Since then, Zacarias said he has volunteered with children and parents on school-related issues and created a scholarship foundation.
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