The Metro school board has found a superintendent everyone can agree on. Friday morning, the nine-member panel voted unanimously to offer the job to Shawn Joseph of Prince George’s County, Maryland. And after more than an hour of negotiating by phone, Joseph accepted the position.
“He’s talking about a little bit of what each of us wants to hear, and I think he would be able to pull us together,” board member Amy Frogge said.
Nashville’s elected school board has become increasingly divided over the growth of charter schools and the focus on modern education reforms. But members agree on Joseph, who
talked a bit about unity during his second round of interviews this week.
The board talks about his focus on literacy, which has dogged the district. He also has experience in a high-achieving school system in Maryland. And everyone seems to comment on his calm style.
“I believe within my heart that he can create leaders just like him throughout our school district,” board member Tyese Hunter said. “I think that’s a legacy.”
Joseph was on a short list for superintendent in a North Carolina district. So after the Metro school board voted, chairwoman Sharon Gentry wanted to lock it down. She dialed Joseph on her cell phone with everyone listening.
The contract lasts four years with a base pay of $285,000. It was basically the same deal that Williamson County superintendent Mike Looney turned down last summer, leading to a school year with an interim at the helm.
Board member Anna Shepherd called Joseph’s selection “historic.” He’s the city’s first African-American superintendent.
“I’m getting chills even talking about it — that we have a director of schools who looks like the majority of students in our district,” she said.
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry called it a “truly inspired choice.” Joseph officially starts July 1.
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