State terminates school improvement director

The restructuring at Superintendent Sherri Ybarra’s State Department of Education continued this week with the termination of Greg Alexander.

Greg Alexander
Greg Alexander

Alexander, who served as director of school improvement and support, had worked at the department since January 2012, hired under previous schools chief Tom Luna.

Previously, Alexander had served as a principal in the Caldwell School District.

State Department of Education spokesman Jeff Church confirmed Alexander’s termination Thursday.

According to state documents, Alexander’s responsibilities included providing “critical leadership to the members of the Statewide System of Support Team that develops, implements and monitors strategies to improve overall systemic school and district improvement practices.”

Alexander also was responsible for ensuring the coordination of federally funded initiatives in areas such as teacher effectiveness and public accountability.

Ybarra will not replace Alexander. Instead, his department will be moved under the umbrella of federal programs and the position will no longer be necessary, Church said.

Alexander’s ouster is the latest in a series of comings and goings at the department.

On Tuesday, education officials announced Lisa Colon will become the new leader of Idaho’s Professional Standards Commission, succeeding director of teacher certification/ professional standards Taylor Raney, who is going to work at the University of Idaho.

Last week, chief technology officer Will Goodman announced his resignation from the department after just five months on the job. Goodman is returning to the Mountain Home School District, where he and Ybarra both worked previously, to serve as technology director.

Goodman’s last day is June 30, and he will be replaced by Chris Campbell, currently a regional education technology coordinator with the department.

Church released a short statement Thursday, saying Alexander had been “released.”

“The change is part of the ongoing reorganization of the State Department of Education by Superintendent Ybarra to improve the efficiency of services being delivered to the public school system,” the statement reads.

Education officials did not disclose the reason for Alexander’s termination or describe how their ongoing reorganization of the department would play out in the weeks or months ahead.

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Clark Corbin

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