MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Board of Education (BOE) provided an update on Tuesday about the ongoing search for a superintendent. A decision was not announced.
BOE President, Nichelle Nichols said the reason for Tuesday’s press conference was to “come back and really reflect on the integrity of this process.” She continued, “and to try to close the loop on anything that might have been misunderstood or not known.”
What is known is a new superintendent for the district will not be announced any later than early March. Nichols made that clear when speaking about the deliberation process. “We’re going into our closed session tonight to really look at all of the feedback, to have our deliberation and the hope is that the board will be feeling unified,” said president Nichols.
It was in February of 2023 when former superintendent Dr. Carlton Jenkins announced his plans to retired. He stepped down in July, after only three years with the district.
Nichols reiterated the board is looking for someone to come in to the position for longer than just a few years. When speaking about the qualifications their seeking Nichols said they want someone who will “cast a vision around staying the course, providing stability and then also helping us really stay student center.” She continued “(someone) who has a clear and compelling vision for what’s right for our students and what it’s going to take for us to get there.”
In January, the board released the names of the three finalists. Administrators said the district received nearly 60 applications for the job. Two of the finalist have received criticism by several media outlets for articles written about their past.
The district hired Alma Advisory group for the superintendent search. Their CEO, Monica Santana Rosen spoke about the criticism during Tuesday’s press conference.
“We looked very comprehensibly at the press and actually yes there were some critiques out there but there was also a great deal of support for each of the candidates,” said Santana Rosen.
The criticism levied against Mohammed Choudhury and Yvonne Stokes centralize around previous reporting by the Washington Post and WFYI-TV.
“For each of the three candidates, the board took a holistic view of their backgrounds and their experiences,” said Santana Rosen before reiterating, “it’s our responsibility to take as I mentioned earlier the totality of a person’s career.”
The Madison Board of Education will meet in a close-door session Tuesday evening, where they are expected to speak extensively about the superintendent search. Nichols said she expects the new superintendent to be announced no later than early March.
