The Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education voted 5-2 this evening to appoint former teacher and principal Sara Noguchi, Ed.D., as interim superintendent and to begin the process of finding a permanent replacement for outgoing Superintendent Jonathan Raymond.

Superintendent Raymond announced last month that he will be leaving his post as of December 31 to return to his native Boston, where he plans to spend more time with his immediate and extended family.

Noguchi, 50, currently serves as one of SCUSD’s three Area Assistant Superintendents and oversees 21 schools, including the seven Superintendent’s Priority Schools. The Priority Schools program is SCUSD’s centerpiece initiative for transforming low-performing schools in high-needs neighborhoods.

Noguchi began her tenure a SCUSD in 2011. She previously served in the Elk Grove Unified School District for 17 years, most recently as Director of Secondary Education. She also taught math in EGUSD and served as principal of James Rutter Middle School. She holds a doctorate in education from the University of the Pacific. Her doctorate studies focused on the professional development needs of middle and high school principals.