Twin Rivers appoints new superintendent amid charter fiscal concerns
The Twin Rivers Unified School District Board has appointed a new superintendent as the district works to address ongoing fiscal concerns at Highlands Community Charter.
After a search process lasting about two months, the board appointed Tu Moua Carroz, who will start in the role on July 1.
With 25 years of experience in public education, Carroz currently serves as assistant superintendent of educational services for the Roseville Joint Union High School District. Her previous roles include principal and district leadership positions in Woodland Joint Unified and Sacramento City Unified school districts.
Carroz came to California as a Hmong refugee and earned a doctorate in education, equity and democracy from the University of California, Berkeley. She will succeed Steve Martinez, who is set to leave the position in October after 13 years.
“My vision for Twin Rivers is clear: academic excellence and equity, held together and never traded off, so that all 45 schools share one coherent instructional core,” said Carroz in Tuesday’s statement.
“Every Twin Rivers student, regardless of zip code, immigration status, language background, or economic circumstance, is capable of extraordinary achievement, and it is our job to build the system that proves it.”
The announcement came as the district is working through fiscal challenges at Highlands Community Charter, following a state audit that found the charter received state K-12 funding it was not eligible for during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.
The Sacramento County Board of Education voted to overturn TRUSD’s May decision to revoke the charter, but questions remain over who, if anyone, would be responsible for repaying the funds. A multiple-day hearing involving the charter’s audit appeal cases is scheduled to start on Oct. 19, according to the California Department of General Services.
Carroz is also expected to address the district’s long-running enrollment decline, with student enrollment falling from about 37,000 in 2008 to just over 24,000 today. Statewide K-12 enrollment has shrunk over the past decade, dropping about 7% from 2014 to 2024, from 6.2 million students to about 5.8 million, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
The district serves northeastern parts of the city of Sacramento, and communities in Sacramento County that include Foothill Farms, North Highlands and Rio LInda.
