Gary K. Hart

Former California Secretary of Education

Gary K. Hart was a high school and college teacher who served as a California state legislator for twenty years (D-Santa Barbara) and as California Secretary of Education during the administration of Governor Gray Davis. He also founded and co-directed the California State University Institute for Education Reform. He chaired the California Senate Education Committee for 12 years and authored many significant education laws, including the California Charter Schools Act, the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), and multibillion-dollar bond measures for higher education facilities. He was active in public service and served on a variety of boards, including the Public Policy Institute of California, the Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching, the University of California Press Foundation, the Campaign for College Opportunity, and the California History-Social Science Project. He received his BA in History from Stanford and his Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard.

Sadly, Alder GSE and the entire state of California lost an exceptional individual when Gary passed in January 2022.  We are forever grateful to Gary for all he did to promote the ideals of democracy and justice through his work at Alder GSE and far beyond.