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LA Unified board member Tamar Galatzan is bringing aboard a new chief of staff, and anyone familiar with how the nation’s second-largest school district works and doesn’t work has the new hire to thank.

Barbara Jones is stepping away from a long and distinguished newspaper career, the last 26 years at the LA Daily News, to run Galatzan’s staff. In a memo yesterday to newsroom personnel, city editor Harrison Sheppard said:

“Barb joined the Daily News in 1987, and has held just about every job in the newsroom — night editor, city editor, business editor, features editor and others. As education reporter for the last two years, she has absolutely kicked ass, generating scoop after scoop and holding the district’s feet to the fire with a genuine passion for the beat.”

Jones is replacing Hilary Macgregor, a writer, former LA Times reporter and mother of two, who became Galatzan’s chief of staff in 2011. She replaced Tom Waldman, who moved into his current position of Director of Media and Communications for all of LA Unified.