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Schools superintendent Jack McLaughlin told the school board in closed session Wednesday that he accepted a post as Nevada’s state superintendent of public instruction. 

Superintendent in Berkeley since 1994, McLaughlin, 59, who has 27 years as superintendent under his belt, has been actively seeking a post which, he said, would advance him professionally. He turned down an offer from Salem, Ore., earlier this year and was edged out of the running for San Francisco schools chief. 

“It’s a real challenge to go to a whole state,” he said after the board meeting Wednesday. 

In Nevada, he’ll be playing a “constitutional” role. “I’ll be part of the Nevada state government, a member of the governor’s Cabinet,” he said. 

The new post will give McLaughlin a chance to influence legislation around school issues. Had he had that power in California, he said he would have “worked for more local control of schools (and) done more about salary for teachers.” McLaughlin will assume his post on Feb. 1, overseeing 400,000 students. 

In contrast, there are only about 9,500 students in Berkeley. 

The superintendent has weathered some difficult challenges during his tenure in Berkeley: a series of arson fires at Berkeley High last year and a revolving door of principals at the 3,200-student school. At the same time, he’s overseen the transformation of K-3 to K-5 schools and the institution of middle schools replacing junior high schools; organic lunches have been introduced into elementary schools; class size reduction in Berkeley preceded the statewide mandate.  

Although McLaughlin said in Nevada he’ll be receiving less than his current $138,000 annual compensation, his retirement from California plus his salary there will be about equal to his current income. 

What will he miss about Berkeley? “All of Berkeley. It’s just a wonderful place.” 

People may disagree on how to achieve educational goals, but they aim for the same thing: “Education has a very high place here.”