Columbus City Schools selects Angela Chapman as next superintendent

Columbus City Schools has a new superintendent — and it's a familiar face.

That's after the Columbus City Schools Board of Education selected Angela Chapman, the district's current interim superintendent during its meeting Tuesday.

The state's largest district of more than 45,000 students was searching for a new district leader after outgoing Superintendent Talisa Dixon announced in December that she would be retiring at the end of the current academic year.

Board President Jennifer Adair said Chapman was the candidate for the job, including her vision and engagement with the community."She's one of us and she gets it," Adair said. "And for me that's what always had me."

Columbus City Schools: 'The right choice': Board, community leaders support Angela Chapman as new superintendent

Chapman said she was "grateful and humbled for the opportunity to serve our district as the next permanent superintendent."

"I have considered every day on the job as an interview," Chapman said in an interview after the meeting. "And so I have given all that I have to make sure that our community knows how important it is and how important I take this role and the opportunity to serve."

Who is Angela Chapman?

Angela Chapman is the district's current interim superintendent, who took over the helm of Ohio's largest district, with about 45,000 students, on Jan. 1.

Dixon brought her into the administration in 2019, and until recently she served as chief transformation and leadership officer.

In her former role, Chapman oversaw many of the district's administrators and academic leaders, such as principals and regional area superintendents. That office also oversees school improvement and school leader recruitment, selection and development.

Read more: Chapman wants long-term job, but says priorities first

Chapman previously told The Dispatch that as interim superintendent she is focused on fully developing the district's strategic plans, including its "Portrait of a Graduate." The plan was developed under Dixon's leadership with input from the community, and Chapman said the district was just beginning to implement some of it.

Chapman is also prioritizing the three other areas the Board of Education identified as academic goals that the district should improve on in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: early literacy, graduation and attendance.

She also recently met with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who visited Avondale Elementary and learned about Columbus' early literacy initiatives, including the "science of reading," which emphasizes phonetic reading skills.

Chapman began her career as a teacher and administrator in Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.

Who else was considered?

Brian McDonald, Pasadena Unified School District superintendent and Minneapolis Public Schools Associate Superintendent Eric Thomas were also considered for the position of finalists. They, alongside Chapman, participated in several rounds of interviews including with stakeholders and during a moderated public forum.

In total 31 people applied for the position and six people were selected as semi-finalists. The full list of candidates was not made public.

Columbus City Schools: Five takeaways from public forum with CCS superintendent finalists: What they said

What did board members say?

While every board member was in favor of Chapman as next superintendent, several others said they also liked McDonald's style of leadership. Member Tina Pierce said she was between the two, but Chapman's passion for the community won out.

"While Dr. McDonald has all the accolades and experience of being a well-versed superintendent, Dr. Chapman has the passion and fire for our community," Pierce said.

Board Member Eric Brown said Chapman has not been merely acting as a caretaker and demonstrated real leadership as an interim superintendent.

"She knows our system and has demonstrated to me during this past four or five months that she can lead," Brown said. "She is willing to take risks."

What are community stakeholders saying?

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther also congratulated Chapman, and urged "the community to embrace her leadership as we seek to move the district forward."

“Our children, our teachers have endured so much these last few years, and we must unite in support to protect their future," Ginther said in a statement. "I know Dr. Chapman is ready for the challenge, and with our support, collective engagement, and investment our kids can thrive.”

Columbus NAACP President Nana Watson, an outspoken critic of the school board and the superintendent search process, said she she wanted to focus on supporting Chapman in her new role as permanent superintendent.

"We are pleased to support her and we encourage everyone to get on her wagon," Watson said. "We need to support her right now, and we will get back to the board of education."

Who conducted the search?

Board members have previously praised the national search conducted to find the next chief executive.

The Columbus City school board approved paying a total of $250,000 to be handled by the Taft Stettinius & Hollister law firm, which has offices in Columbus.

The board also contracted with Ray & Associates, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based firm that specializes in school executive leadership searches, and Fahlgren Mortine, a Columbus-based marketing firm, to assist in the search. All applications were submitted directly to Ray & Associates and the firm had prescreened applicants before presenting them to the board.

Each application was screened based on their administrative experience, academic backgrounds, and input from the community and the board, according to a release.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Angela Chapman to become next Columbus City Schools superintendent