Former St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Diana Bourisaw, who was replaced last week, is among five people being considered to lead the Cincinnati public school district.

From Cincinnati.com:

Five outsiders are now vying to become the next superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools in August, the school board announced Wednesday.

After a day of meetings with search consultants and volunteer advisers, the board named five semi-finalists to come to Cincinnati next week for in-person, private interviews. The group will be cut to three before a final selection comes later this month.

None of the group are current CPS employees, or from Ohio or any bordering states.

The five are:

Tiffany Anderson, superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools, Christiansburg, Va.
Diana Bourisaw, superintendent, St. Louis Public Schools
Kriner Cash, chief, accountability & systemwide performance; Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Public Schools
Donnie Evans, superintendent, Providence (R.I.) Public School District
Earl Watkins, superintendent, Jackson (Miss.) Public Schools.

So much for stability.

After being authorized to continue its reign over St. Louis Public Schools for three more years, the appointed Special Administrative Board announced yesterday that superintendent Diana Bourisaw had turned in her resignation two weeks ago. They then voted to appoint Dr. John A. Wright as the new interim superintendent to serve while they search for the district’s seventh leader in just 5 years.

This isn’t the kind of “stability” the public was expecting when the state took over the city schools, not that the public was asked their opinion or anything.

Recent Superintendents

John Wright (May 2008)
Diana Bourisaw (July 2006-May 2008)
Creg Williams (April 2005-July 2006)
Pamela Randall Hughes (Dec 2004-April 2005)
Floyd Crues (July 2004-Dec 2004)
William Roberti (July 2003-June 2004)
Cleveland Hammonds (1996-2003)
David J. Mahan (1990-1996)

St. Louis Public Schools’ statement on the appointment of Dr. Wright:

Tonight, the Special Administrative Board of St. Louis Public Schools engaged John A. Wright, Ph. D., to serve as interim superintendent until a permanent superintendent is hired this fall. Dr. Wright has worked as an educator for nearly 35 years. Most recently, Dr. Wright served as interim superintendent in the Normandy School District in St. Louis County.

According to Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Special Administrative Board (SAB), Wright is being brought on to oversee day-to-day-operations over the summer and help facilitate the transition between Dr. Diana Bourisaw, the outgoing superintendent, and the hiring of a permanent superintendent.

Sullivan said, “Dr. Wright’s interim appointment will be effective July 1, 2008 to allow some overlap before Dr. Bourisaw leaves at the end of July. At that time, Dr. Wright will then step in and guide the district through the start of the next school year. He will oversee all pending actions, ‘back-to-school’ efforts, and all other projects designed to ensure the smooth and successful start to school year 2008.”

Dr. Bourisaw tendered her resignation in a letter to the SAB on May 15, 2008. Sullivan explained that this latest move was necessary to ensure that the district maintain control of the timing of the next transitions.

“We believe it is in our students’ best interest and in the best interest of the district that we keep more control over the timing as best we can,” Sullivan said. “Contracting with a new interim at this time ensures that there will be no interruption in that office during the very critical back-to-school planning efforts.”

Wright holds a bachelor of science in elementary education from Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a master’s in school administration and a doctorate from St. Louis University. Dr. Wright also holds a number of specialized certifications on all grade levels and has served in an advisory capacity to the Governor’s Advisory Board under Kit Bond as well as to schools of all formats including private and parochial. He has served as an elected member of the board of education for University City. He retired in 2004 but returned to education last year as an interim at Normandy. Now he will help see the St. Louis Public Schools through this latest transition period.

Sullivan said, “Dr. Bourisaw stepped in at a very critical time and she has done a great job of implementing education initiatives and moving those programs forward over the past two years. The superintendent search is presently in the hands of an outside search firm and a broad-based community committee headed by SAB member Melanie Adams.”

St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Diana Bouriaw is one of 17 applicants to be the next head of the Cincinnati Public Schools, according to a Cincinnati newspaper.

Bourisaw, who has led SLPS since July 2006, decided not to re-apply for her job after the Special Administrative Board unexpectedly announced they were searching for a new superintendent.

Considering the relatively small group of educators with experience leading urban districts, Bourisaw may have an advantage on her competition for the Cincinnati job. In fact, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, several school board members there have specifically said experience in a large, urban setting is a high priority for the roughly 34,000-student district. Bourisaw is just one of seven applicants from school systems with more than 20,000 students. Enrollment in SLPS was 32,135 last year.

The Special Administrative Board of St. Louis Public Schools has selected a firm to head the search for district superintendent. At its regular board meeting Thursday night, the SAB approved the hiring of ProAct Search Inc., a Milwaukee-based company.

Back in February, the Special Administrative Board announced that it would conduct a search for a new superintendent of schools. The current superintendent, Diana Bourisaw, said she would not re-apply for her position, but will continue in her job during the search process.

Thursday, February 28, 2008, the Special Administrative Board held a meeting at the Saint Louis Public Schools’ headquarter. While the meeting was in order, parents, teachers, students, voters, and tax payers gathered outside the building to show there support for Dr. Diana Bourisaw.
The rally started at 5:30 PM. Candles were handed out and lit while participants of the rally read letters from supporters that couldn’t make it, discussed other issues, and introduced new ideas on helping the SLPS. This rally was a public statement about the decision to seek another superintendent.
Nearly 55 supporters gathered sharing the same opinion about Dr. Bourisaw. They stressed how Diana Bourisaw took this position during a difficult time in the SLPS. She made every effort to respond to emails, phone calls, and questions asked concerning the public schools. “No one could ever do the job Dr. Bourisaw has done and it was a big mistake to fire her,” said many of the teacher and parent supporters.
Around 7:00PM, everyone went into room 108 in the Administration building where the meeting was being held. They lined the walls and silently continued to support Dr. Bourisaw.