Sacramento County Schools Superintendent Dave Gordon to retire: ‘It’s just time’
After 21 years in the job and with his 80th birthday approaching next September, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools Dave Gordon is ready to chart a course toward retirement.
That doesn’t mean, though, that Gordon, who announced Monday he will retire in June 2027, is planning to do nothing once his job ends. “It’s just time,” Gordon, 79, told The Sacramento Bee of his impending retirement. “I’ve had a full and very gratifying work life. We’ll just move on to new pursuits.”
So will end the tenure of a public figure who quietly wielded sizable influence heading up the Sacramento County Office of Education.
A release by a county spokesperson on Monday to mark Gordon’s impending retirement noted that the office “directly educates more than 30,000 children and adults each year” and provides support services to more than 250,000 students in 13 districts. The office helps with staff development, curriculum and technical assistance, among other services.
Gordon, who has devoted much of his life to education, said it was a joy for him to work and that the people he’d worked with had been extraordinary teachers and leaders.
“I really enjoy the people that I work with and I think we’ve done a lot of good things together,” Gordon said. “One of my main precepts has been: It’s all about collaboration. It’s about teamwork.”
Gordon explained that the more than 18-month runway to when he will actually retire is about him wanting to give his board plenty of time to find his replacement. He said that his job is unusual in that it’s one of only about four appointed positions in the state, with most county superintendents being elected.
One person looking forward to seeing what Gordon does next is his daughter Jennifer Stoecklein, an attorney for the state of California. She said that the entire family is planning a vacation in Tahoe next year to celebrate Gordon and his wife’s 80th birthdays.
Gordon, who lives in South Land Park, said he has six grandchildren, nearly all grown, and that “my wife is interested in having more time with me.” But Stoecklein said that she and other members of her family can guarantee that Gordon will “stay busy and involved, because that’s just the type of person he is.”
Stoecklein said her dad had worked in education ever since he got out of college in his early 20s, with Gordon saying that he had held just four jobs. Prior to his role in Sacramento, Gordon was superintendent of the Elk Grove Unified School District for nine years.
“He’s really a role model to me in terms of his dedication to his work and his passion and his just impeccable ethics,” Stoecklein said.
In terms of what could keep him busy going forward, Gordon is a board member for Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, as well as the Sierra Health Foundation. He is also a gubernatorial appointee to the California State Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission.
“He’ll still be trying to do good in the world and help students,” Stoecklein said.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM.
