Sac City Unified superintendent Lisa Allen resigns amid budget crisis
Lisa Allen, Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent of under three years, announced Thursday in a staff meeting that it is her last day on the job, a district spokesperson confirmed.
The move comes as the district works to claw itself out of a budget crisis that puts it at high risk of fiscal insolvency by the end of the year.
The decision was a voluntary separation between the superintendent and the board, according to a principal in the staff meeting.
A replacement leader has not yet been named.
School community reacts to news
Allen could not be immediately reached for comment and trustees declined to comment until after the move was made official at a board meeting later in the day.
Earlier this week, Board President Tara Jeane sent a letter to parents and staff explaining the causes for the budget crisis, citing systemic poor budgeting practices and changes in fiscal leadership, as well as their plan to address it.
“These reasons are the fault of a broken system, not one person; ultimately all of us are responsible and all of us must be part of the solution,” she wrote.
She also said that district leaders must make “hard choices” to keep the district out of state receivership.
Labor leaders in the district spoke to Allen’s leadership and the district’s future.
“As a longtime educator who served SCUSD for decades, Lisa Allen was the absolutely right person to succeed the previous superintendent,” Nikki Milevsky, teachers union president, said. “We have appreciated her constructive approach and respect for educators.”
“We appreciate Superintendent Allen and her commitment to Sac City, but this is another moment of instability for a district already facing significant challenges,” said Garrett Kirkland, who runs the district’s union for administrators. “Administrators are being asked to lead schools through uncertainty while major decisions are being made rapidly and without sufficient transparency. Our concern remains the impact this has on schools, staff, and students, and the need for steady, lawful governance moving forward.”
The Sacramento City Unified board of trustees will meet Thursday night at the Serna Center to discuss an update on their fiscal solvency plan and budget prospects for the coming years.
Lisa Allen’s history with SCUSD
Allen has been employed with the district for nearly 30 years and has held positions at every level, according to her bio on the district website. She was promoted from deputy superintendent to acting superintendent in July 2023 following Jorge Aguilar’s resignation. She was hired as the permanent superintendent in April 2024.
Allen began her career at SCUSD as a resource teacher supporting Title I students. As the first Black woman appointed as superintendent of Sacramento City Unified, she looked after the district as it navigated pandemic-related learning loss and the aftermath of an eight-day teachers union strike that occurred in 2022.
“My job title may be changing, but my top priority remains the same – improving student outcomes,” Allen said in a 2024 statement following her appointment to the permanent position. “We accomplish that by working collectively to ensure our schools are safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces where every student is empowered to learn and thrive.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 11:38 AM.
