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GREENSBORO — Fresh off one of his most successful years as Guilford County Schools superintendent, Terry Grier flew to San Diego and accepted a job as that city's new schools superintendent.

In doing so, Grier faces perhaps his most challenging job ever: raising the performance in a school system where a large number of students are poor and speak English as a second language.

Grier, 57, spent eight years here honing his reputation as an educational innovator. He developed a roster of initiatives that bedeviled some and delighted others.

"He seems to have both the ability to reach people and talk to people and to bring out the best in people, and at the same time hold them accountable," said San Diego school board Chairwoman Katherine Nakamura. "He has an incredible work ethic."

Grier will be well-rewarded in San Diego. He will earn a base salary of $269,000 a year and was offered a three-year contract, which begins July 1.

San Diego will also pay him $1,000 a day for each day he works for that board before July 1.

Grier accepted the job in person at a special school board meeting that began at 4 p.m. EST. Immediately after the meeting, parents, students, teachers and some of the principals he will supervise buttonholed him and began questioning him on the spot. Back in Greensboro, school officials convened a brief meeting at the Eugene Street central office to thank Grier for his service.

"We appreciate his efforts to improve the lives of our students," said Alan Duncan, chairman of the Guilford Board of Education.

Duncan said he did not know when Grier's last day will be. As a formality, the board must vote to release Grier from his contract before he can go to California.

School board members will likely appoint some interim leadership to cover for Grier while they search for a new superintendent. Board members have not yet worked out those details.

Grier could not be reached for comment Saturday night. In a statement, he said he is proud of the many accomplishments the schools here have made and he is looking forward to his new job.

"Guilford County is a special place. Working with others to improve Guilford County Schools has been rewarding and humbling," Grier said.

The school system made significant academic progress this past year. For the first time, Guilford outperformed the state in meeting both state and federal testing goals and graduating students from high school within four years.

It was a major achievement, and the board rewarded Grier for it last fall with an 8 percent pay raise, his biggest since coming on board.

During Grier's tenure, graduation rates increased, and several new specialty high school programs were established. His proponents call him innovative and creative.

Grier introduced a number of programs to push student and teacher achievement. In recent years, he created programs that paid for local teachers to earn master's degrees.

"That is probably the best thing he has done for us," said Pam Zanni, an eighth-grade science teacher at Southwest Middle School.

But Grier hasn't been universally admired. Some parents, teachers and community leaders bristled at some of his ideas and his drive to implement programs they did not always like.

"We didn't always agree," said school board member Kris Cooke. "But he worked hard, and he was dedicated to the kids."

On local Web sites and many blogs Saturday, news of his departure elicited glee from those who did not like his management style and goals.

Many faulted Grier for beginning programs without supporting evidence or funding. One such program, which shuffled attendance policies for High Point's three high schools, spurred a campaign of bumper stickers and yard signs proclaiming "Get Terry Grier Outta Here."

But it was Grier's willingness to initiate new programs that impressed the San Diego school board, Nakamura said.

There are 135,000 students in the San Diego school system, nearly twice as many as Guilford County Schools.

Grier got to meet some of those children Saturday when he was introduced to the community. Nakamura said Grier waded into a crowd of teenagers and started talking to them.

"He was right in his element. It was really nice," Nakamura said. "You could tell he really warmed up to them."

Grier will be joining the San Diego district in a time of upheaval. The former superintendent, Carl Cohen, left his position at the end of 2007, two years short of his contract.

Like Guilford County, San Diego has some struggling schools and a student achievement gap, and an ongoing need for more money to get the job done.

"We have some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the county, and we have some of the poorest neighborhoods in the county," said Camille Zombro, president of the San Diego Education Association, the teachers union. "Creating a system that works for everyone is a challenge."

The teachers' contract is also about to expire, an issue Grier will have to face.

"He has to understand collective bargaining. He has to understand the role of the union," Zombro said.

Grier has held seven superintendent jobs in five states, including Texas, South Carolina, and Ohio. The San Diego job will be his second stint as a superintendent in California. He previously managed the Sacramento school district.

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