Coachella Valley Unified school board appoints Frances Esparza as its next superintendent

Coachella Valley Unified School District's board of education appointed Frances Esparza as its next superintendent in a 4-2 vote Tuesday night. Board members Valerie Garcia and Trinidad Arredondo dissented.

The vote took place during a special board meeting called to discuss next steps in the district's superintendent search following previous superintendent Luis Valentino's resignation in April. Esparza had most recently been serving as the assistant superintendent of educational services and "administrator in charge" since Valentino's departure, according to an April 15 letter that Board President Joey Acuña Jr. sent to CVUSD employees.

Prior to CVUSD, Esparza served in several executive roles. She told The Desert Sun in a recent interview that she worked for the California Department of Education, specifically the state superintendent's office on teacher recruitment initiatives. Simultaneously, she became the first woman and Latina to serve as the chief executive officer and president for Para Los Niños, a charter school network within Los Angeles Unified School District.

Esparza earned a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of Southern California, a multiple single teaching credential from California State University, Los Angeles, a master's degree in educational psychology and leadership from Pepperdine University, a doctoral degree in educational leadership, administration and policy from Pepperdine, as well as a professional leadership development program at Harvard Business School.

Prior to Valentino, Maria Gandera was the CVUSD's first Latina superintendent, serving the district for 19 months. She succeeded Edwin Gomez, who resigned to become the deputy superintendent of the Riverside County Office of Education after two years in the role. Prior to Gomez, Darryl Adams served as superintendent from 2011 to 2016.

The district's attorneys will now work towards negotiating a contract, which the board plans to add to the agenda for the next CVUSD regular meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, at 87-225 Church St. in Thermal.

Learn more about the new superintendent: What happened to CVUSD's superintendent, and who's in charge now? Here's what to know

More: Coachella Valley Unified school board member steps down

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley Unified school board appoints Frances Esparza as its next superintendent