Gary Thomas, Ed.D. County Superintendent

Superintendent's Message

SBCSS Welcomes Dr. Gary Thomas as Superintendent

Although I am new to the role of county superintendent, I want to assure our students, staff, schools and districts that I will continue to provide the quality services and maintain the strong partnerships that have been developed through the County Schools' office.

When I took the oath of office on Aug. 29 to replace Dr. Herbert Fischer, who retired as superintendent, I pledged to help all students achieve their academic potential so that they ultimately can participate in the 21st century workforce; to assist in providing safe learning environments for students and staffs in our schools; and to provide districts and our partners with services that give them opportunities to produce successful students and positive results for their communities.

Having been the deputy superintendent for Dr. Fischer and worked at County Schools since 2003 as the assistant superintendent of Business Services, I understand the vital role our office fills for our students, teachers, classified staff and administrators. As a former superintendent for two school districts in the High Desert, I know first-hand the positive impact a good working relationship can have when districts partner closely with County Schools.

Like Dr. Fischer, I started my educational career in the classroom before moving into school administration and then into leadership positions with High Desert districts. With now more than 28 years of public education experience in the classroom, at school sites and in administration, my commitment always will be to provide the best possible environments for our students to learn and to help our staffs work in stable and safe conditions.

At County Schools, we will continue to offer outstanding Business Services to our 33 K-12 school districts in San Bernardino County. Our newly named Education Support Services (formerly Curriculum/Instruction) still will offer tremendous programs, like the Alliance for Education, which has promoted relevance and rigor for students while developing strong relationships with our business, labor, community and faith-based partners. Education Support Services also will assist our low-performing schools in the county and focus on helping close the access and achievement gaps. Our Regional Occupational Program is a statewide model, and our Juvenile Court Schools just earned the maximum, six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The Parent Involvement Resource Center provides training for parents as advocates for their children's educations; and our KidsNCare services recently doubled so that more families and childcare providers have access to childcare training, resources, referrals and subsidies. These are just some of the many services offered by the County Schools, which I am privileged to now lead, and the quality of these services will remain to the highest of standards

Additionally, there are challenges facing public education that I will address. Foremost among those issues is the budget stalemate in Sacramento. As part of the Education Coalition, we need to remain vigilant in our advocacy to receive adequate funding for public schools and preserve the voters' mandate under Proposition 98. In a state with world-class academic standards and in an economy that would rank as the eighth largest in the world, we still rank near the bottom of all states in per-pupil funding for public education. Our students deserve better.

As county superintendent, I am humbled by the actions of the County Board of Education in entrusting me with this position. I look forward to being an advocate for all of our students, schools and districts. Working together, we can make a difference with the opportunities provided through public education. Let's get to work.