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GREENSBORO — Guilford County Schools Superintendent Terry Grier, fresh off a major professional achievement, is in the running to run one of the nation's largest school systems.

Should he stay or should he go? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

Representatives of the San Diego Unified School District were in Guilford County two days last week, interviewing local parents and school employees about Grier.

One San Diego school board member said they are "very seriously considering" Grier for the top job in their district, said Terrina Picarello , head of the Guilford County Council of PTAs.

Grier confirmed his candidacy Monday night, releasing a statement through the school system's media office during a closed Board of Education meeting to discuss a personnel matter.

Grier left the meeting Monday night via another exit while members of the media waited out front.

Reached by phone later, Grier said he met with the San Diego school board at its invitation. San Diego is "an intriguing place," but he stressed no one has offered him a job yet.

"I want to be clear that I am not dissatisfied with my current position and enjoy working with our board of education," Grier said.

San Diego board trustee Katherine Nakamura said Grier has "impressive credentials," but she declined to say whether Grier is a finalist or when the school board will choose a replacement for its current superintendent, Carl Cohn. His last day is Dec. 31.

Grier has been Guilford County superintendent since May 2000. He earns nearly $203,000 a year. His contract expires in 2010.

School board Chairman Alan Duncan said the board has been pleased with the schools under Grier's leadership — success that earned him honors as North Carolina's superintendent of the year last month.

Among the work Grier said he is proudest of is reducing the dropout rate and increasing the graduation rate to nearly 80 percent.

Grier's tenure has also had its lows — such as facing "Get Grier Outta Here" bumper stickers after a High Point reassignment plan in 2004.

Some residents would not be disappointed to see Grier leave, school board member Garth Hébert said.

"I think it's time for a change," he said. "He experiments with kids. It's the program du jour, and we need a bit more stability."

The 132,000-student San Diego Unified School District is the eighth-largest urban school system in the nation with a

$2.2 billion budget.

In contrast, Guilford has about 71,000 students and a budget of about $500 million.

This is Grier's second flirtation with another job. In April 2006, Grier withdrew from consideration to be superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg's school system.

At the time, he cited a "moral conviction" to the children in the state's third-largest district, Guilford.

"There is no question that the decision to stay here was the right decision," Grier said Monday night.

But the timing of the current job prospect concerns Margaret Arbuckle, head of the Guilford Education Alliance. She has worked closely with Grier and lauded his innovation with programs, such as the middle college high schools and the Mission Possible teacher incentive program.

"It does not surprise me that others are looking at him," she said. "I do think the timing is unfortunate for us in light of the bond."

The school board last week settled on a $457 million construction bond referendum that it hopes the county c ommissioners will place on the May primary ballot.

The referendum would be the county's third school construction bond since 2000 and its most expensive so far.

Picarello, who organized parents to meet with the San Diego officials last week, said Grier has had a "hot and cold" tenure. She said he is a dynamic and persuasive person, and has done a good job working with the business community.

She said she would hate to see him leave now, when the district has a group of good senior staffers working together.

"This is a tough gig, being superintendent," she said. "It's not for wimps."

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jfernandez@news-record.com.