It's official: San Diego schools chief, Terry Grier is leaving San Diego.
The Houston school board hired Grier away from the San Diego Unified School District Thursday, three weeks after he emerged as the top candidate for the job. The vote was unanimous.
Grier has been San Diego's superintendent for 18 months, a rocky period marked by deep budget cuts and a tense relationship with a pro-labor school board that was voted in after last November's election.
Now, for the fourth time in four years, San Diego's school board will be looking for another person to take the helm.
The district will hold a news conference Friday, when it's expected to name an interim superintendent.
Dr. Grier earned an annual salary of $269,000 in San Diego. As superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, he's getting a big pay raise. According to the Houston Chronicle newspaper, Dr. Grier is expected to earn a base salary of $305,000 plus hefty bonuses.
In a letter sent to the school board yesterday, gave the school district the 30 day notice required by his contract but our partners at voiceofsandiego.org report he'll use up 22 days of vacation time that he hadn't taken yet. That means his last official day will be next Friday, Sept. 18.
