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The first outsider looking to lead Tucson's largest school district drew upon his work in five communities as experience needed to serve a district as large and complex as Tucson Unified.

Delfino Alemán, an area superintendent from San Diego, spoke to about 70 people Wednesday night.

When asked about school and district improvements, Alemán repeatedly said district leaders must first look to data and test results, then seek out positive, local examples of excelling students and teachers and then implement models appropriate for a diverse student population.

"The answers, the work, the innovation is here, among us. There's nothing magical about it," he said when asked about achieving high academic performance.

In Texas, Alemán said, he learned teaching English-language learners is about teaching academic English and supporting students' strengths, rather than teaching how to converse.

San Diego Unified School District is facing an $80 million shortfall, Alemán said, explaining he is familiar with budget crunches, but he maintained throughout the night that he would make strategic cuts but do his best to not affect the classroom environment.

But times of crisis should be seen as moments to improve and innovate, he said.

Alemán said he would begin to improve district schools by asking parents with students in private or charter schools why they left.

"Almost everything he talked about returned to not affecting the classrooms. That's important," said William Jones, whose daughter, Helen, 13, attends Magee Middle School, and son, Scott, 15, attends Tucson High Magnet School.

Jones said Alemán's enthusiasm, optimism and student advocacy were impressive.

"It's exciting to see all the candidates who applied are interested in serving TUSD," said Teresa Toro, a school counselor at Pueblo Magnet High School. "It's a real compliment to our district that we've got these qualified people who want to serve."

Alemán began his education career as an elementary school teacher in 1988 in the Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas. In 1993, Alemán became a curriculum specialist for the same district and one year later became an assistant principal, a position held for five years, according to his résumé.

For two years Alemán worked with the Texas Education Agency, followed by one-year administrative stints at the University of Texas at Austin and the San Antonio Independent School District.

From 2004 to 2006, Alemán was associate superintendent for the Isaac School District in Phoenix and then moved to the San Diego Unified School District, where he works as one of five area superintendents.

Community members in attendance, like the previous two nights, were given feedback forms to rate the superintendent candidate. They were asked to judge the candidates on ability to establish a positive work environment, whether they exhibited the qualities of a successful leader, displayed an understanding of academic and extracurricular programs as well as operating a district and ability to communicate. The final question asked if the "Finalist is a good fit for Tucson Unified School District?"

TUSD's Governing Board will review the feedback forms.

The new superintendent is expected to be appointed in March.