By Lookout Staff

June 25, 2010 -- John Deasy, who served as superintendent for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District from 2001 to 2006, was hired this week by the LAUSD’s school board to serve as that district’s deputy superintendent.

Deasy will begin his new job in August on an 11-month contract worth $275,000. Some observers say he is being groomed as a possible replacement for current Superintendent Ramon Cortines, whose contract expires in two years.

Since 2008, Deasy has worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as its deputy director of education. He began his job with the foundation after serving a little more than two years as the superintendent for the schools in Prince George’s County, Md.

Although Deasy was credited for boosting student success in the mostly poor area, he left under some controversy. Shortly before his departure, the legitimacy of Deasy’s Ph.D. from Louisville University was questioned when it was revealed he had received it after just one semester of work. District officials said at the time that this issue was not a factor in Deasy’s leaving. (See: Former Supt Deasy Leaves Post , October 1, 2008)

This week’s media coverage of Deasy has described him as an education reformer. Deasy was known during his tenure with the SMMUSD for bold and often controversial moves. Soon after taking over in July 2001, he convened a team of civic leaders to craft a strategic plan to run the District based on a corporate model, pushed for policies to increase standards and split Santa Monica High School into six smaller campuses known as houses.

Deasy also spurred heated debate with a contentious gift policy, his controversial support for charter schools and the removal of Olympic High School’s principal.