Sue Burr

Sue Burr, executive director of California's State Board of Pedagogy and a fundamental strength at local and country levels in guiding California through decades of teaching reform, is stepping down at the end of this year.

Burr, who in her current position besides serves as Gov. Jerry Brown'southward pinnacle counselor on didactics policy, appear her retirement in a November. nine letter to the governor in which she thanked him for "providing a wonderful coda to my career," but gave no specific reason for leaving other than the stop of the year marking 40 years in public service.

Her retirement follows the administration's exhausting and successful entrada to win voter support for Suggestion 30, Brown's election initiative to enhance taxes on the wealthiest Californians and increase the sales tax to boost pedagogy funding.

"Sue brought a deep understanding of schoolhouse policy and operations to her many years of public service. I thank her for her counsel and steady leadership," said Brown in a statement.

Simply, as Burr noted in her letter of the alphabet, she'southward leaving as California policymakers and educators wade into some hugely pregnant and undoubtedly divisive debates on implementing the Mutual Core standards and transforming the state's assessment and accountability systems. "I am confident that our highly capable board members and superb staff will go along to motility this work forward," she wrote.

Her difference leaves a void in the Brown assistants in dealing with those issues equally well as with the governor's upcoming upkeep plan, in which he will once again propose overhauling teaching funding, directing more money to disadvantaged students through a weighted student funding formula.

Before existence named executive manager of the State Lath, Burr served every bit executive director of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, chief business official for Elk Grove Unified School Commune and as undersecretary and acting Secretary of Education for former Gov. Greyness Davis.

In naming a replacement for Burr, Brown and State Board President Mike Kirst will take big shoes to fill, said John Mockler, who called her a "complete professional, smart, fair, knowledgeable and tough. No matter the issue."

"And I might add California educational activity policy will suffer a great loss," said Mockler, who also served as executive director of the State Board and interim Secretary of Education.  (He and Burr are also former members of the EdSource lath of directors.)

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