Gov. /*Arnold Schwarzenegger*/ praised the choice of Cortines immediately after Tuesday's vote and expressed confidence in him.
Cortines is currently senior deputy superintendent. He will replace /*David L. Brewer III*/, a retired Navy admiral whose critics called him an ineffective figurehead. The board last week bought out Brewer's contract for about $500,000.
The 76-year-old Cortines was previously interim superintendent of the 700,000-student Los Angeles district in 2000 and also led school districts in New York and San Francisco.
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