KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education announced the names of the semi-finalists in their search for a new Superintendent at their regular meeting last night.
They come from as close as Portage and from as far away as Texas. Two are from Michigan and one each is from the Lone Star State, Missouri, Tennessee, and Illinois.
Johnny Edwards is assistant superintendent of operations for the Portage Public Schools in Michigan, Stephanie Jones is chief officer for the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services with Chicago Public Schools, Thomas D. Rogers is assistant superintendent for IZone 2.0/Priority Schools for the district office of Shelby County Schools in Tennessee, Darrin Slade serves as deputy superintendent of the Hazelwood Public School District, Missouri, Marcey Sorensen is chief academic officer in Fort Worth Independent School District, Texas, and Ty Weeksis the Superintendent of Schools for Dearborn Heights School District No. 7, Michigan.
Trustee Jermaine Jackson says the first three will be interviewed virtually on Monday with the board asking the questions from the Board Room in the Administration Building on Howard Street. The second group of three will be interviewed next Thursday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m.
He says it’s taken a lot of work by the board, the staff, and the public to get this far.
The two or three best candidates will be back for a second round of interviews the week after.
The Board’s goal is to have a new superintendent in place for the beginning of the new school year July 1, 2023.
reporting from John McNeill
Interviews:
Monday, April 24:
6 p.m. – Thomas D. Rogers
7 p.m. – Marcey Sorensen
8 p.m. – Ty Weeks
Thursday, April 27:
6 p.m. – Johnny Edwards
7 p.m. – Darrin Slade
8 p.m. – Stephanie Jones
Johnny Edwards is the assistant superintendent of operations for Portage Public Schools, and oversees the non-instructional departments for the district. He is a veteran educator with more than 20 years of experience in K-12 schools in Michigan. Edwards is currently leading Portage schools’ $175 million bond project to construct new elementary schools. He is a former middle school math teacher, basketball coach, and athletic director, and served 13 years in KPS as principal of Loy Norrix High School and the director of secondary education. He is a dual graduate of Michigan State University and is pursuing his doctorate at Western Michigan University.
Dr. Stephanie Jones is the chief officer for the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services for Chicago Public Schools, where she provides strategic direction to district leaders, administrators, and staff to ensure high quality, grade-level instruction and equitable services for students. She began her career as a special education teacher with CPS and served as director of special services for an Illinois school district. She is a data-driven leader with knowledge of academic reform strategies. She holds a bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s in special education, and a doctorate in leadership in educational administration from Capella University.
Dr. Thomas D. Rogers is assistant superintendent for IZone 2.0/Priority Schools for the district office of Shelby County Schools in Tennessee, where he coaches and supervises principal supervisors, content managers, and specialized advisors in a portfolio of assigned schools. He has worked in public education for 20 years, including as a teacher and principal. He earned a master’s in educational leadership from Christian Brothers University, and a doctorate in education from Union University. He is in the 2022-23 cohort of the Broad Fellowship for Public Education Leadership at Yale University.
Dr. Darrin Slade is the deputy superintendent of the Hazelwood Public School District in Missouri. He previously served as the assistant superintendent of Instructional Leadership for Kansas City Public Schools, where he supervised principals, instructional programming, school climate and strategic planning. He has 16 years of experience as an elementary, middle, and high school principal for the District of Columbia Public Schools. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Towson University, a master’s degree in teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Marcey Sorenson is the chief academic officer for Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas. She previously served as the deputy chief of secondary schools and executive director of curriculum and instruction in Madison, Wisconsin. She was a high school principal and teacher in Chicago Public Schools for 20 years. She has dedicated her career to closing achievement and opportunity gaps to ensure all students have access to high quality programs. She has a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University, a master’s from Northeastern Illinois University and a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Dr. Ty Weeks is superintendent of schools for Dearborn Heights School District No. 7. A Detroit native, he has worked as a teacher, advocate mentor, professor, principal, Title IX compliance coordinator, and program developer for youth in the tri-county metropolitan Detroit area for two decades. He is a member of the Michigan Association of School Administrators and the American Association of School Administrators. He earned a bachelor’s in secondary education, master’s in K-12 administration, and doctorate in educational studies all from Eastern Michigan University, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in public service in 2022.
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