Scott Kuykendall was officially sworn in as the Stanislaus County superintendent of schools on Jan. 3 at the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors’ Chambers. The ceremony marked the start of Kuykendall’s second four-year term at the position after he ran unopposed during the June 7 California Primary Election.
Having served as superintendent since 2019, Kuykendall has overseen a staff of over 1,150 and a budget of over $301 million. The Stanislaus County Office of Education provides direct instructional programs and support services to the 25 school districts in Stanislaus County, including Turlock Unified. The office also provides regional programs and services in a seven-county area.
“Children are society’s greatest gift, and there is no greater responsibility than their care, protection and education,” said Kuykendall at the ceremony. “I am proud of what the County Office of Education’s 1100 committed employees accomplish daily, serving many of the most vulnerable students in our communities.”
On the Stanislaus County Office of Education website, Kuykendall has shared a list of some of his goal for his second term. He hopes to “engage parents through effective outreach and help them prepare their children for school, increase the number of county residents with a high school diploma, build a training center with the assistance and expertise of business leaders to provide job seekers with skills needed for the many good-paying jobs that often go unfilled, and noost the number of college graduates to address shortages in fields including education and healthcare.”
Kuykendall is a resident of Turlock and attended Stanislaus State University, having graduated in 1994 before having teaching and administrative roles at Gustine High School, Delhi High School and Johansen High School up until 2006. After serving as the director of educational services at Modesto City Schools from 2006 to 2011, Kuykendall joined the Stanislaus County Office of Education where he was a division director of career, charter and alternative education and was assistant superintendent before taking on his current role in Jan. of 2019.
