Palm Springs Superintendent appointed to state educational agency

Palm Springs Unified School District’s superintendent was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown today to a state agency that advises school districts and other Californian educational bodies.

Sandra L. Lyon, 56, of Palm Desert has been appointed to the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, a recently established agency that assists school districts and charter schools in meeting state or district accountability targets.

The agency was created in 2013 under the state’s Local Control Funding Formula.

Lyon has served as PSUSD superintendent since 2016 and was previously superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, chief leadership officer for the Palmdale School District, and superintendent and principal at the Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes School District, along with numerous positions for the Lancaster School District dating back to 1988.

The position on the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence comes without compensation and does not require Senate confirmation, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

According to Palm Springs Unified spokeswoman Joan Boiko, Lyon will not have to give up her position at PSUSD as the California Collaborative meets every other month.