Merced County schools leader cites goals amid new term. ‘We’re excited about what’s to come’
Merced County Superintendent of Schools Steve Tietjen took the oath of office Monday to serve his third term as the county’s top education leader, four months after a successful primary election run.
Tietjen was sworn-in with trustees at the Merced County Office of Education’s Downtown Professional Development Center.
The longtime educator was upbeat during Monday’s ceremony, reflecting on how Merced County navigated multiple challenges during recent years, while also looking ahead with optimism.
“There is so much good work to do. We’ve gotten through some pretty tough hurdles. They are in the rear-view mirror, and we’re excited about what’s to come,” Tietjen told the Sun-Star.
“We’ve got a great staff development team we’ve brought together to focus specifically on mathematics and provide staff development for our classroom teachers so that they can really provide great first instruction for our students in mathematics, which is one of the areas that is weakest here in Merced County.”
Additionally, Tietjen said early childhood education and child care will be a big focus during his latest term, particularly for families that depend on those necessary support systems.
“We know that child care is the number one need of families in our county, to be able to get those parents into school or into a job,” Tietjen said.
“Our early education division does a fantastic job of working with first-time, in-home child care providers, to provide them training, to provide great child care.”
The oath of office was administered by Merced County Superior Court Judge Ronald Hansen.
Also sworn in Monday were trustee Tim Razarri, a longtime local businessman who represents MCOE Area 2, and trustee members Dennis Hanks and Geneva Brett, who represent MCOE Areas 1 and 5 respectively. Hanks and Brett ran unopposed.
“I think the county is going in a good direction. The concern is to keep kids engaged, and post-pandemic, to let them experience the activities that their peers for the last couple of years really haven’t to been able to get engaged with,” Razzari said.
Tietjen was appointed county superintendent in 2017 and won the election to serve his first four-year term in 2018, according to an MCOE news release.
He began his career in 1980 as a history teacher in Visalia and served as school superintendent in Woodlake Unified and Los Banos Unified.
As county superintendent, he is the leader of the Merced County Office of Education and its 1,300 employees. MCOE serves as an intermediary agency between the state and the 20 school districts in Merced County.
