By Lookout Staff

February 1 -- The School Board is expected to fill the district’s top financial and academic posts at its meeting Thursday night.

Dr. Chiung-Sally Chou – who is widely credited with boosting the number of Compton students seeking higher education – will be hired as the district’s new chief academic officer.

The board also is expected to hire Dr. Steve Hodgson, a highly sought management expert, as the district’s interim CFO.

Chou served as the Compton Community College District’s Associate Special Trustee, where she worked in academic affairs, student services, budget development and curriculum, according to district officials.

The former Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services for the Compton Unified School District , Chou also implemented a program to recruit and prepare local high school students for college, district officials said.

"Dr. Chou will compliment the Ed Services department with her extensive background in secondary education,” said School Superintendent Dianne Talarico.

“Her experience working in high schools and community colleges will support the district's efforts in providing access to higher education learning opportunities for all students,” Talarico said.

Hodgson -- who has been in high demand as a consultant since retiring as Glendale schools’ CFO last year -- will hold the district’s top financial post during a “comprehensive national search” for a permanent CFO to take over July 1, Talarico said.

Hodgson will temporarily replace former CFO Winston Braham, who resigned last month after a public dispute with the superintendent and other top district officials over a tentative teachers’ contract. (see story)

"Dr. Hodgson has extensive experience as a CFO and an impeccable reputation,” Talarico said.

Hodgson will help the district hammer out a plan to pay for teachers’ raises and help prepare a budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year, Talarico said.

He also will “help with negotiations for the issuance of bond money from Prop BB,” she said, referring to the $268 million bond handily approved by voters in November to renovate and repair the district’s aging schools.

“A person of his caliber will be a great compliment to the district's dedicated financial team,” Talarico said. “I feel confident going to Dr. Hodgson with the district's financial questions."

In addition to serving as the Glendale School District’s CFO for 15 years, Hodgson is an adjunct professor at the California State Universities at Los Angeles and Northridge.