SUPERINTENDENT COLLINS TO LEAVE DISTRICT AT END OF SCHOOL YEAR

Accepts new position for CORE education products company
 

March 16, 2010 (La Mesa) – Robert J. Collins, Superintendent of the Grossmont Union High School District, will leave at the end of the school year to accept the position of vice president and chief academic officer with the CORE K12 division of CORE Projects and Technologies Ltd., an education products and services company.
 

“We are fortunate to have had someone of Bob’s caliber, work ethic and vision to lead the Grossmont District during these past three years,” said GUHSD governing board president Robert Shield.

He added, “He is an exceptional collaborative and student-centered leader whose commitment to improving educational opportunities for secondary students is helping our schools and students succeed. He will be sorely missed by the entire East County community,"Shield concluded.

Collins will oversee new product development in advanced assessment and curriculum design for CORE’s K-12 products. “These responsibilities will be both domesetic and international in scope, affecting millions of young people world-wide,” Collins said in a letter to GUHSD staff and community. “While this is a unique opportunity, the most difficult part of accepting this position is leaving individuals in GUHSD whom I have grown to respect and truly appreciate.” For more information on the company and its products, please see http://www.corek12.com/ and http://www.coreprojectstech.com.
 

The Superintendent joined the GUHSD as Superintendent in November 2007, following a 39-year career in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
 

Collins thanked fellow board members, administrators, teachers, staff and parents as well as business and civic leaders for their involvement and support amid challenging economic times. He expressed pride in securing passage of Proposition U, which enabled renovation of high schools and a new school for Alpine. Other accomplishments during his tenure include a model Career Tech Education Program, a new Post-Secondary Plan for all students, and a College and Career Center on every campus. Under Collins’ watch, the district also reversed declining enrolled, reduced the dropout rate, improved test scores and the rate of district students going on to high school.
 

“My greatest disappointment has been the continuing State budget crisis that has serious affected each employee,” he said. “During the coming months I am committed to working with our teachers and classified staff to mitigate the effects of potential budget cuts.” His goals for the remainder of his term include reaching an agreement with bargaining units to assure fiscal stability of the district, resolving issues regarding Helix High School to assure proper procedures for reporting child abuse, and resolving issues of naming, size and scope for Alpine’s new high school.
 

“I am proud of my contributions to this District and the lives of its employees, students, parents and community,” he concluded, “and hope that we will build upon this foundation in the years to come.”