Dayton Public Schools superintendent search narrowed to three candidates
Dec. 22—The Dayton Public School Board announced Friday they have narrowed down their search for a new superintendent to three finalists, including interim superintendent David Lawrence.
The other two finalists are Alesia Smith, chief of schools for Cincinnati Public Schools, and H. Allen Smith II, school system leader in Mansfield, Texas, both of whom attended Central State University. — "As we move forward with the selection process, the community can be assured that the next leader of Dayton Public Schools will be strong, student-focused, and capable of leading our district forward," said board president Chrisondra Goodwine.
Students, caregivers, staff and community will participate in panel interviews with each candidate, the district said in a press release. There are three ways that the Dayton community can participate in the superintendent search soon: — Submit nominations or self-nominations for potential participation on interview panels between now and Jan 12. — Submit potential interview questions for the interview panels to consider asking the finalist candidates between now and Jan. 12. — View the live-streamed and recorded finalist interviews with students and parents and provide feedback to the Board of Education. The date of the finalist interviews has not been scheduled yet but are anticipated to be in early February.
The board has said they plan to pick their next superintendent by March. The two newest members to the board, Eric Smith and William Bailey, have been participating in interviews, Goodwine said, and will help select the final candidate.
The new superintendent will start in the summer.
The Alma Group has been helping the district find the finalists. DPS will spend around $65,600, plus travel and expenses, with the total amount not to exceed $75,000, according to the contract with the Alma Group.
"The finalists for the role are an extremely talented and passionate group, who are focused on improving education and achieving success for the students they serve," said Monica Rosen, CEO for the Alma Advisory Group.
Lawrence, Alesia Smith and Allen Smith all have backgrounds in Dayton and Ohio, Goodwine said. She said the district also looked for people who have experience turning around underperforming public schools.
David Lawrence
Lawrence is the current interim superintendent for Dayton Public Schools.
He graduated from Paul Lawrence Dunbar in 1984 and taught at several DPS schools during his career, where he was a principal and previously served as the chief of school innovation for DPS. While he was chief of schools, he led the district to get an A grade in value-added, one of the ways the state previously scored state report cards.
He was the chief academic officer for the Dayton Regional STEM school, where he led the district to a top 20 spot for academic performance in Ohio.
This school year, the district has seen an increase in third grade reading test scores compared to last year and a decrease in chronic absenteeism. He has created more opportunities for families to interact with him at town halls.
He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati in finance, along with two master's degrees and a Ph.D. from Antioch University Graduate School of Leadership & Change. His master's degrees are in Educational Leadership and Educational Philosophy, and his Ph.D. is in Leadership and Change.
Alesia Smith
Alesia Smith is the chief of schools for Cincinnati Public Schools. She is from Cincinnati and attended Central State University for her undergraduate degree.
In the 2022-2023 state report card for Cincinnati Public, 62% of the elementary schools earned three stars or above on the state report card in the overall rating and 74% of the elementary schools received three stars or higher on the progress part of the state report card.
Previously, she was the deputy superintendent of Pulaski County Special School District in Little Rock, Arkansas where she was responsible for leading supervision and development of all school leaders, learning services and federal programs. She led the schools to higher achievement ratings and higher ACT scores, and five of the schools she oversaw are now listed among the best schools in Arkansas, according to U.S. News and World Report.
She has a certification as a School Turn-Around Specialist from the University of Virginia, obtained a master's in educational administration from Xavier University and received her doctoral degree in leadership and management from Capella University.
H. Allen Smith II
Allen Smith is the school system leader in Mansfield, Texas. He attended Central State University for his undergraduate degree and previously taught at Allen Elementary School, a now-closed elementary school in Dayton.
He was the senior deputy superintendent for Denver Public Schools, which has become a model of schools improving academic progress. He also served as the regional superintendent of KIPP Texas- San Antonio, where he oversaw 3,600 students from 2019 to 2023 and increased the state performance rating in his region from a C to a B and helped F schools move to B-rated campuses.
He also worked in administration in Oakland Unified School District and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
He holds a master's degree in education from Denver University, a bachelor's degree in in English from Central State University and a certificate of social emotional wellness and counseling from Cornell University.
