State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Appoints Elizabeth Dearstyne as Director of the School Fiscal Services Division

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed Elizabeth Dearstyne as the new Director of the School Fiscal Services Division at the California Department of Education (CDE). The division apportions funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) and guides LEAs from the state level on fiscal solvency, audit resolution, and financial reports.

“Elizabeth brings with her a wealth of knowledge about the state’s school funding systems after almost 20 years in education finance,” said Thurmond. “Her leadership and management skills will help the state provide crucial support to our schools so that they can provide a high-quality education to all students.”

Dearstyne has spent the last 14 years at the CDE in the School Fiscal Services Division at different levels, most recently as the Associate Director since April 2019. She has provided her leadership, guidance, and support in a variety of K–12 education finance areas, such as the allocation of state and federal funding to LEAs, issues related to LEA fiscal solvency, and the impact of emergency school closures on instructional time and funding. Dearstyne also led the team that implemented the school funding formula changes in 2013 for the Local Control Funding Formula.

Dearstyne holds a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. She replaces Caryn Moore, who retired last year.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100