New SMMUSD Superintendent is announced

Sam ReamerStaff Writer The Board of Education (BOE) has officially selected Sandra L. Lyon, current Chief Leadership Officer for the Palmdale Unified School District, as the new Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Superintendent. Lyon will replace Tim Cuneo after he retires at the end of the school year.According to an email sent by Cuneo to SMMUSD parents, Lyon has served as Superintendent/Principal of Hughes-Elizabeth Lake School District, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Lancaster Unified School District, and as both a middle school and elementary school principal. Lyon began her career as a Language Arts teacher.According to SMMUSD Board of Education (BOE) member Ralph Mechur, what made Lyon stand out in the pool of applicants was her commitment to the students of her district. Lyon also shone as an applicant because of her experience as Chief Leadership Officer in Palmdale, which included being responsible for all 24 of the district’s principals.As SMMUSD transitions into the new administration, Samo students are hopeful that Lyons will greatly improve and strengthen the district.“I hope Mrs. Lyon will run the district with integrity and with the SMMUSD students and faculty’s best interests at heart,” junior and future ASB Vice President Rebecca Sherouse said. “I know she will use her leadership skills and vision to strengthen and improve our school district.”The BOE also has a clear idea of the goals it would like to meet in the coming school year, and the members are confident that Lyon will only further their efforts.“We are just finishing up a new strategic plan of getting students to meet their goals,” Mechur said. “The SMMUSD Board of Education would like to focus on fulfilling our mission statement — extraordinary achievement for all while simultaneously closing the achievement gap — in the coming years.”sreamer@thesamohi.com