State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Appoints Stephanie Farland as the New Director of the Charter Schools Division

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed Stephanie Farland as the Director of the Charter Schools Division for the California Department of Education (CDE).

The Charter Schools Division oversees State Board of Education-approved charter schools throughout California and administers the Federal Public Charter Schools Grant Program. 

Currently, Farland is the Executive Director and Founder of Collaborative Solutions for Charter Authorizers, a private consulting firm dedicated to assisting school districts and county offices of education in their work as charter school authorizers. In that position, she works on all aspects of charter authorizing and oversight to ensure that a fair process is being implemented in California.

“I am pleased to add a professional with Stephanie’s knowledge of charter school issues to the CDE leadership team,” said Thurmond. “She is highly regarded as an expert in the field and for over a decade, has been a valuable resource and advisor to educational agencies and legislators throughout the state. Stephanie is a dedicated advocate and will lead the Charter School Division as it navigates new processes and changes, while continuing the ongoing support and guidance to charter schools on behalf of the students we serve.”

Previously, Farland spent 13 years at the California School Boards Association as a Senior Policy Consultant. In that position, she was the principal point person on charter schools, and trained local governing boards around the state on charter authorizing responsibilities. 

Farland taught history and government at Hiram Johnson High School in the Sacramento City Unified School District for five years. She graduated from California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor of Arts in history and minor in Chicano/Latino Studies. She received her Preliminary Single Subject Credential from California State University, Sacramento.

Farland replaces former division director Lisa Constancio who now oversees the Operations and Administration Branch. She will start in her new role on December 15.

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100