Solano County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck (Right) administers an oath of office to newly sworn-in Benicia Unified School District trustee Stacy Holguin (Left) in January. Speck will be retiring at the end of the year. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

Jay Speck, the Solano County Superintendent of Schools, announced Friday morning that he would be retiring after 40 years with Solano County Office of Education. The retirement will be effective Saturday, Dec. 31.

“The decision to retire was a difficult one, but I feel it is the right time for my family, for me and for the organization,” Speck said in a statement. “I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and grandkids and having time to explore and enjoy the many aspects of living that come with the gift of time.”

Speck received his Bachelor of Arts from UC Davis, his teaching credentials from CSU Los Angeles and Sacramento State and an administrative credential from Sacramento State. He began working with the Solano County Office of Education in 1976 when he started working as a teacher at the T.C. McDaniel Center in Fairfield. Since then, he has held roles as a principal, special education director, program manager and assistant superintendent for human resources until he was elected as superintendent in 2010.

Solano County Board of Education President—and former Benicia Unified School District trustee– Dana Dean praised Speck for his successful leadership.

“Jay’s countywide leadership has been nothing short of stellar through very challenging times, including the recession and the massive shift in education policy that the Local Control of Accountability Plans and Local Control Funding Formula model represent,” she said in a statement. “While Jay will be deeply missed, he leaves behind an organization that is a model of strength and harmony with a focus where it should be– on our children. It is vital to our community that we maintain the stability and culture that Superintendent Speck has nurtured here.”

Dean will be leading the process to appoint a successor to fill out the last two years of Speck’s term.

In a statement, Speck expressed gratitude to the staff of SCOE for its efforts to adapt to new state standards and bring the county’s schools into the future, as well as make the county’s schools more inclusive.

“It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to work with the amazing children, families, staff and community partners involved with the County Office of Education,” he said. “I take great pride in our successful efforts to include students with significant disabilities onto general education campuses. That is some of the most rewarding work we have done.”

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