Photograph by Hilary Schalit
Class Act: School superintendent Linda Murray vowed to make a difference--and she has.
Linda Murray makes a role model of the San Jose Unified School District
Unprecedented 7 years on job takes toll, but superintendent vows to continue good fight
By Chantal Lamers
It seems as if the telephone on Yolanda Beatty's desk never stops ringing. And the stream of traffic in and out of the office is so steady, it seems that a pathway should be worn into the navy blue carpet by now. Beatty is constantly flipping through the pages of an appointment book, arranging interviews, meetings and airplane reservations for Dr. Linda Murray, the president and CEO of one of San Jose's largest employers, the San Jose Unified School District.
SJUSD superintendent Murray isn't a CEO or a president of any company. But she sure comes close to being one. Murray heads up the 20th largest business in San Jose. According to those who have worked with her, her seven-year performance has been spectacular.
Her tenure in the position is nearly unprecedented. Nationally, most superintendents remain in the position for an average of two years. But Murray is anything but average.
Murray was recently named California's Woman of the Year. Assemblyman Mike Honda bestowed the award, an honor he said was long overdue.
About 32,000 students attend 30 schools in the district, all within a 25-mile radius of each other. What those students may not know is that Murray put her foot on the gas pedal and helped race more teachers into classrooms, sent more students off to college and spurred voters to approve a big bond for school improvements.
It's no wonder she's tough. Murray grew up in Rochester, N.Y. "I don't think I ever envisioned my career leading to where it's led," she says. When Murray began her career as superintendent, she vowed that she'd stick around long enough to make a difference. Since Murray took over, SJUSD has become a role model for similar urban school districts across the nation.
When schools across California were given the opportunity to reduce class sizes in 1998, Murray was the first one at the drawing board, putting together a plan the district could use to advantage. "We went for it and never looked back," Murray says.
SJUSD began recruiting teachers and adding classroom facilities. The district was the first in the Golden State to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade. Administrators from surrounding districts wondered how it was done.
There's little doubt they stopped wondering about the superwoman superintendent when she raised high school graduation requirements to meet California State University and University of California entrance requirements in 1998. "I believe all students can aspire to college if we give them the pathway," Murray says.
"We live in the heart of Silicon Valley," she says, pointing out that around here these days, students need higher levels of math and science to survive. She said the business community needs graduates who are good problem solvers and team players. Today, students are required to complete three years of math and science and two years of a foreign language.
In 1997, San Jose Unified voters passed a bond for $165 million to improve all 30 schools. Today, dilapidated schools are getting a much-needed facelift and students are getting safer, cleaner places in which to learn.
And on May 1, after six months of long board meetings and parents threatening lawsuits, Broadway Continuation High School students are moving into new classrooms on the John Muir Middle School campus. Headed by Jim Chase, Community Action in Robertsville wanted to put an end to Murray's and board members' plan to plant Continuation students next to students attending John Muir. Protesters in yellow shirts were a fixture at meetings until CAIR's attorneys were told SJUSD wasn't breaking any rules by placing the Continuation campus next to the middle schoolers.
But Murray doesn't really have much time to pat herself on the back, because there's always a new problem to solve. Murray's looking for someone to replace associate superintendent Joanne Mendoza when she retires in June. A nationwide search has been launched, and Murray has her fingers crossed. "We know who we want, now we have to find this person," she says.
When Mendoza packs up, Murray will stay on. She confirms she'll continue for a few years while the district takes shape. And when she has some time, she'll slip in a game or two of golf, and squeeze in a visit to her daughter in Palo Alto.
Some people say that the job of a superintendent is a thankless one, but Murray still looks forward to coming to work every day.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
