The Abridged version:
- Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Lisa Allen announced her resignation, effective at the end of the day Thursday.
- Her leave comes as the district faces a multi-million-dollar budget crisis and the threat of a state takeover.
- The district has a regularly scheduled board meeting Thursday evening, when staff are expected to give an update on their ongoing attempts to right-size the budget.
Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Lisa Allen abruptly announced her resignation Thursday on what will be her last day in the job.
The district faces a multi-million-dollar budget crisis and the threat of state takeover.
The Sacramento Bee was first to report the news of Allen’s departure.
A spokesperson for the district confirmed Allen was stepping down effective immediately. He said the decision was hers, not a result of being forced out.
Allen has been in the position of superintendent at Sacramento City Unified since July 2023. Before that she held various other roles with the district, including as a teacher and later deputy superintendent.
The school board will hold a regularly scheduled meeting Thursday evening, during which staff are expected to present an update on their fiscal solvency plan.
The district has not said yet who will take on the role following Allen’s departure.
Decades in the district
Allen assumed the job of acting superintendent July 1, 2023. Almost a year later, in April 2024, board members officially appointed her to the position.
Before that, she worked in Sacramento City Unified for 28 years, according to her biography on the district website. Originally from Indiana, Allen earned her master’s degree in education from Sacramento State.
“My job title may be changing, but my top priority remains the same — improving student outcomes,” Allen said in a statement at the time of her appointment to superintendent.
Her stint followed former Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, who served from 2017 to 2023 and frequently butted heads with the district’s teachers union.
“As a long time educator who served SCUSD for decades, Lisa Allen was the absolutely right person to succeed the previous superintendent,” Nikki Milevsky, president of Sacramento City Teachers Association, said in a statement following Allen’s announcement.
“We have appreciated her constructive approach and respect for educators,” Milevsky said.
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.