(January 21, 2004) — Fullerton’s Dr. Michael Escalante accepted the position of superintendent of GUSD on Tuesday Dec. 9. He will be succeeding Superintendent Jim Brown, whose retirement will be official as of Feb. 1. “We think that Escalante will make the transition to our community very easily,” said Pam Ellis, president of the GUSD Board of Education. According to Ellis, Escalante has an impressive breadth of experience in education. He is currently the superintendent of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, and has previously served as principal at several elementary, middle and high schools. The Glendale Board of Education developed a profile of what qualities the next superintendent should possess and, according to Ellis, Escalante was offered the position because he “stood out in the field of candidates.” The Dec. 9 issue of GUSD’s monthly newsletter, Staff-O-Gram, highlighted some of Escalante’s qualifications: a doctorate in educational leadership from USC, a master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and a bachelor’s degree in history and industrial arts from San Diego State University. Jim Brown first came to GUSD in 1996 after having served as a teacher, principal and superintendent in various districts since 1965. He was named California’s Superintendent of the Year in 2000. “Thanks to his leadership and great community support we passed the $186 million school bond (Measure K), which made the renovation of Clark possible,” said Ellis. Brown was part of the team that converted CMHS from a closed junior high school to the campus seen today. He contributed to the design, organization and construction, as well as the staffing, of the school. “I am particularly proud of the excellent teaching, administrative and classified staff we have working in this district,” Brown said. He expressed how much he valued the “very good relations [the district] has with parents from many different parts of our diverse community.” Brown decided to retire because his strenuous 80 hour work week was not allowing him to fulfill many of the things he wanted to do. He plans on spending his newly acquired time exploring different types of literature, traveling, teaching and bonding with his family.