Modesto’s Sylvan school district finds next superintendent in Grass Valley
A Merced native who for the past decade has been superintendent of the Grass Valley School District in Nevada County was tapped as the finalist to take the same job in Modesto’s Sylvan Union School District.
The Sylvan Board of Trustees unanimously chose Eric Fredrickson to replace Superintendent Debra Hendricks, who will retire in June. A vote to ratify his contract was set to be held Tuesday night. Fredrickson, 59, is to assume the Modesto job on July 1.
Fredrickson “brings over 30 years of teaching, site-level and district-level administrative experience to the position,” Sylvan board President George Rawe said in a news release. “His vast experience and credentials in K-12 public education are exactly what we need in Sylvan.
“He is known as a respected educational leader that has fostered strong partnerships with staff, parents and community members. He is also known to be a child-centered leader who is highly visible, approachable and accessible.”
Also in the news release, Fredrickson said that after educating himself about the Modesto district and meeting with the board members, “I feel that my skill set and years of experience align very closely with the current vision and mission of the Sylvan Union district.
“I highly respect Sylvan’s focus on providing a high-quality, student-centered learning environment that supports high academic achievement, providing innovative programs such the Sylvan STEAM Academy, creating a school culture in which teachers collaborate together in professional learning communities, and the implementation of multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) that provide both academic and social-emotional interventions for all students.“
Sylvan Union noted some of Fredrickson’s most recent and significant contributions as an educational leader:
- Increasing student enrollment in the Grass Valley School District by more than 6 percent, despite countywide enrollment declining
- The passage of an $18.8 million general obligation facilities bond, which is the first for his district in over 50 years
- The establishment of a joint-use agreement with the city of Grass Valley to provide recreational facilities on the district campuses, which brought more than $2 million in facility improvements to the district
- The implementation of a Spanish Dual Immersion and Global Studies Academy (non-charter), which is the first and only type of program in the community.
- And the implementation of an MTSS initiative that has supported the district staff in improving student proficiency results and implementing effective academic and behavioral supports.
According to its website, the Grass Valley School District serves more than 1,700 children in preschool through eighth grade. It has two preschools, two kindergarten through fourth-grade schools, one fifth- through eighth-grade school, and one preschool- through eighth-grade charter school.
Sylvan Union has about 8,300 students. Its campuses are CF Brown, Crossroads, Freedom, Sanders, Orchard, Sherwood, Standiford, Stockard Coffee and Woodrow elementary schools, the Sylvan STEAM Academy (also elementary) and Savage, Ustach and Somerset middle schools.
Fredrickson, a graduate of Merced High School, earned his bachelor of arts degree from Fresno State University and his master of arts in school administration from the University of San Francisco.
He worked 10 years as a teacher and site administrator in the Clovis Unified School District before relocating to Northern California. He has served as an assistant principal and principal at both the high school and K-8 levels.
Before becoming Grass Valley superintendent in July 2010, he was superintendent of the Union Hill School District for two years.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Modesto’s Sylvan school district finds next superintendent in Grass Valley."
