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Carmen Garcia. Photo via LinkedIn
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San Marcos taps San Diego High principal for superintendent position

SAN MARCOS — San Marcos Unified went down south to find its new superintendent.

The district recently announced that Carmen Garcia, the lead principal at San Diego High School, was the lone finalist in the district’s search for a permanent replacement for Melissa Hunt, who retired Aug. 30.

Garcia presides over one of the largest schools in the county, which is broken into three schools: the San Diego School of International Studies, School of Business and Leadership and School of Science and Technology.

“Dr. García, a bilingual and bi-cultural educator, with great energy and a passion for student success, will be an outstanding leader for our district,” school board President Stacy Carlson said in a statement.

Garcia, in her farewell letter to her current school, said that the new position will allow her to engage with the North County community, of which she is a resident, in Escondido.

“This opportunity with San Marcos USD will afford me the ability to connect deeply with the north county community where I live and where my training, background and experience will enable me to work with the Board of Education, teachers, staff, parents, and higher education (Palomar College and Cal State San Marcos) to support the more than 21,000 students achieve their full potential,” Garcia said.

The San Marcos Unified school board is expected to approve Garcia’s hiring Oct. 16.

Recently, several school board members traveled down to San Diego High to meet with Garcia and San Diego Unified board members and the area superintendent.

Longtime school board member Richard Barrera praised Garcia after the meeting.

“It’s truly going to be our loss and San Marcos’ gain,” he said.

Prior to her stint with San Diego Unified, Garcia served as superintendent of the Borrego Springs Unified School District from 2010 to 2012. She has been a teacher, researcher, school and central office administrator. She resides in Escondido with her husband and three children.

Garcia replaces Hunt, who retired in response to her husband’s cancer diagnosis.