Compton superintendent of schools will step down
Jesse Gonzales, superintendent of the Compton Unified School District since 2001, has told the board and administrators that he will step down July 31.
Gonzales, 70, led the district when it emerged from state control and enjoyed improved student test scores. But he also had strained relations with some board members over the district’s troubled school renovation and construction program.
Gonzales could not be reached for comment Thursday. But Daryl Vinson, a district spokesman, said Gonzales told Compton school officials that he planned to retire, travel and spend more time with his family.
A major issue probably facing his successor at the helm of the 28,000-student district will be how to resume a construction program that Gonzales suspended in January. The effort to renovate 28 schools and build two others was halted amid rising costs and faulty construction work.
The effort was launched in 2002 with $80 million from a bond measure. But officials have acknowledged that they would need to borrow $20 million to $30 million to cover financial shortfalls to complete the plan.
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stuart.silverstein@latimes.com
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