FILE - Sitton Elementary principal Becky Berry (left) and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero (right) applaud and high-five students walking the red carpet on their first day of school in Portland on August 29, 2023. Guerrero announced Thursday that he has landed a new leadership job at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.
Caden Perry / OPB
Less than a month before his last day leading Portland Public Schools, Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero has accepted a new leadership position in education.
Starting April 2, Guerrero will serve as the new chief executive officer of Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, as announced in a press release Thursday.
The Partnership is an independent, non-profit organization that serves about 13,550 elementary, middle and high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its efforts focus on helping historically underserved schools with the greatest needs, using public and private resources to do so.
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According to its website, the Partnership is involved in three LA Unified communities and 20 individual schools, with an 88% graduation rate for students who participate in Partnership programs.
“I’m thrilled to join the Partnership and to build on the collective effort focused on achieving educational equity for underserved students of color,” Guerrero said in a recent statement. He said he’s looking forward to helping further improve outcomes for Black and Latino students in the city’s Boyle Heights, South LA and Watts areas.
FILE - Portland Public Schools Board of Education Chair Gary Hollands (left), César Chávez School Principal Jorge Meza (center) and Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero (right) discuss a new mural on the side of the school building in Portland on Aug. 29, 2023. Guerrero announced his resignation in early December 2023, shortly after the end of Portland Public Schools' first-ever teachers strike.
Caden Perry / OPB
Guerrero announced last month that he’d be stepping down after more than six years leading Oregon’s largest K-12 school district. His resignation came just after the district’s first-ever teachers strike, which lasted for more than three weeks.
When he announced his resignation, Guerrero said he planned to use this pause in his professional career to “focus on [his] health, reengage with family, take a long road trip, and return to producing and performing rock music.” His last day with PPS is Feb. 16. His first day running the Partnership is about six weeks later.
Related: Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero announces departure
Former Salem-Keizer Public Schools Superintendent Sandy Husk will serve as the interim leader of PPS starting Feb. 12. The search for a permanent replacement is in its early stages.