Lynwood – Lynwood Unified Superintendent Paul Gothold has been named the next superintendent of the San Diego County Office of Education following a unanimous vote by the San Diego County Board of Education on May 10. Gothold will assume his new role on June 1.

Gothold has been a champion of equity and access for all students in Lynwood Unified, working to break down barriers to student success.

“It has been a true honor to have worked with some of the most skilled and dedicated teachers, staff and administrators who are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring every student finds a pathway to success,” Gothold said. “I am grateful to Lynwood Unified’s distinguished Board of Education for their support and for giving me the opportunity to serve such a special community that values education and rallies behind our students, who have shown they are capable of doing anything they set out to accomplish.”

As San Diego’s top education leader, Gothold will take the demonstrated successes he’s helped forge at LUSD to address challenges and strengthen the academic achievement of the county’s more than 500,000 students.

Gothold joined Lynwood Unified as chief academic officer in 2011 before being named superintendent in 2013.

He crafted a comprehensive professional development plan for all teachers and administrators to improve the district’s instructional program and initiated the Achieving Greatness Strategic Plan, which focused on making systemic changes to improve student outcomes. His efforts to promote collaboration among the Board of Education, parents, teachers, staff and community has boosted student success and achievement across Lynwood Unified.

Under Gothold’s leadership, Lynwood Unified has eliminated prerequisites and tracking so that any student can enroll in advanced coursework, including Advanced Placement (AP), honors and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. The District provides teacher training to support AP students; free AP summer camps and support outside of the instructional day; access to online tutoring courses; and District funds to cover the cost of exams.

For this, the District is one of three in the nation – and the only one in California – to be selected as a 2017 AP District of the Year for continuously raising the number of students taking AP classes while simultaneously improving passing rates on AP exams.

Since 2010-11, the graduation rates at both Lynwood and Firebaugh high schools have increased by more than 23 percentage points, with each achieving 93 percent in 2015-16.

“We cannot thank Paul enough for his collaborative approach to leading this District. Like with great teachers who are recruited to become administrators and multiply their impact, Paul will now be able to replicate our District’s success to impact hundreds of thousands more students,” Lynwood Unified Board President Alma-Delia Renteria said. “Although we are sad to see him go, we are proud of him and his new position at the county. This is every educator’s dream come true!”

The Lynwood Unified School District Board of Education will announce the District’s plans moving forward at its May 23 meeting.