Raneene (Rae) Belisle, former Executive Director of the California State Board of Education, and Martin Cavanaugh, former Chief of Staff of the Elk Grove Unified School District, will join the Sacramento County Office of Education staff, County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon announced today.
Ms. Belisle will serve as General Counsel and Mr. Cavanaugh will serve as Deputy Superintendent. The appointments come as the Sacramento County Office of Education gears up to assume major new responsibilities in program assistance and oversight of school districts stemming from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent settlement agreement in the statewide Williams "educational adequacy" lawsuit.
"Rae Belisle and Marty Cavanaugh bring a wealth of experience to the Sacramento County Office of Education," Superintendent Gordon said. "Rae Belisle is a noted specialist in school law and state policy. Among other accomplishments, she is considered a national expert on the No Child Left Behind Act, and she was a key negotiator in the Williams settlement." Belisle served for five years as Chief Counsel and for more than a year as Executive Director of the California State Board of Education. She also served as an Associate General Counsel for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Marty Cavanaugh brings vast experience in leading special education and court and community day school programs. "In Elk Grove, Marty was the architect of the "Neverstreaming" early intervention program, which has become a model throughout California and the nation," Gordon said. Cavanaugh served Elk Grove for 13 years as Director of Student Services, Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, and Chief of Staff to the Superintendent.
"I look forward to Rae and Marty joining our County Office team to continue providing top-quality service to the students, families, and staff of Sacramento’s sixteen local school districts," Gordon said. Belisle and Cavanaugh will begin their new positions in October 2004.