Jan. 12--Los Angeles Unified School District's new superintendent, Michelle King, 54, is a career L.A. Unified educator who worked her way up through the ranks starting with her hire as a student aide in 1978.
"What a historic moment this is," said school board President Steve Zimmer. "A daughter of our city, a student and graduate of LAUSD, a teacher from our schools, a principal from our system, a leader of our community, will now take the helm."
King became a secondary school life sciences teacher in 1985 at Porter Junior High School. She also taught at the Porter magnet school for gifted students and at Wright Middle School before becoming an assistant principal at Hamiltion High in 1997.
As that school's top administrator she won praise from teachers for bringing stability and evenhanded leadership to the campus after the departure of a controversial predecessor.
A succession of district roles and rapid promotions followed: assistant superintendent in health and human services, chief instructional officer for high schools, senior regional administrator, chief of staff to the superintendent, head of operations, and, finally, chief deputy superintendent -- the district's No. 2 administrator, under the last two superintendents, John Deasy and Ramon C. Cortines.
King remained near the top of the leadership ladder despite sharp shifts in district policy, which she managed to support without alienating opposing factions. She remained well-liked and respected by parties who disagreed sharply with each other, district insiders said.
If King had unique, nonconformist or different ideas about how to run the nation's second-largest school system, she never made them known. Her largely silent, loyal approach to management was a classic survival strategy within L.A. Unified, said longtime district observers.
But in interviews for the top job, she tried to show board members a different side, demonstrating what she could do as the person in charge. And she made a strong impression, sources close to the process said.
"I think she has some wonderful ideas," said board member Scott Schmerelson. He predicted that in the superintendent position, King will "blossom."
howard.blume@latimes.com
