Several big-city school districts will begin the upcoming 2023-2024 school year with new leadership, including two of the nation’s largest.

After embarking on a national search, Florida’s Broward County Public Schools recently selected Peter Licata, a veteran educator and Broward native, to lead the nation’s sixth-largest school district serving more than 254,000 students.

Licata is a regional superintendent for Florida’s School District of Palm Beach County, where he oversees 60 schools and 65,000 students. He has spent 29 years in the district, serving as director of secondary curriculum and assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, and a teacher. 

Licata was born and raised in Broward County and attended elementary school in the district.

“Our goal has remained to find the most qualified candidate to lead our schools while maintaining our dedication to excellence in education and to preparing our students to reach their highest potential,” said School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Licata to Broward County Public Schools.” 

New Superintendent in Houston

Mike Miles was recently named superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the nation’s eighth-largest school system with 187,000 students. He will succeed Millard House II, who has led the district since 2021 and was recently chosen to lead a school district in Maryland.

Miles was named to the position by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which in March announced that it would take over the Houston school district, the state’s largest. In addition to selecting Miles as superintendent, the TEA appointed a board of nine managers, replacing the district’s elected school board.

Before his appointment as superintendent, Miles was founder and CEO of Third Future Schools, a charter school network.  In 2012, he was named superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District, where he served for three years. During his leadership, the district created the Accelerating Campus Excellence program to improve struggling schools by providing them with extra resources and financial incentives to attract and retain effective teachers.

Miles is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a former Army Ranger and diplomat. In 1995, he began his career in education as a high school teacher at a school district in Colorado.

“We can’t fix one school — we have to fix the system,” Miles wrote in a message to the school community on June 1, the day he was appointed to lead the Houston school system.  “It will take time, but we are starting now, and we will not stop until every HISD student is learning in a school that teaches them core skills at grade level and prepares them for successful lives in the Houston of 2035.”

New Superintendent Named in Charleston  

South Carolina’s Charleston County School District named Eric Gallien to lead the 50,607-student school system, the state’s second largest. He will succeed superintendent Don Kennedy.

Gallien has served as the superintendent of Wisconsin’s Racine Unified School District since 2018, where he launched a district-wide early literacy initiative and developed and implemented school-based mental health clinics. Prior to serving as superintendent, he was the district’s deputy superintendent.

Interim in Columbus Now Permanent

Ohio’s Columbus City Schools didn’t have to go very far when selecting a new superintendent. The state’s largest school district selected Angela Chapman, who had been serving as the interim superintendent since January.  She will succeed Talisa Dixon, who is retiring at the end of the academic year.  

Chapman joined the 45,000-student school district in 2019 as the Chief of Transformation and Leadership, where she served on the Superintendent’s Cabinet in charge of principal leadership and the regional support of school communities.

She told the Columbus Dispatch after a board meeting announcing her selection that 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,” said Chapman. “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.”

Bridgeport Public Schools (CT) Names New Superintendent

Connecticut’s Bridgeport Public Schools recently named Carmela Levy-David, the assistant superintendent of elementary education for Texas’ Fort Bend Independent School District, as its new leader. She succeeds interim superintendent Alyshia Perrin.   

Levy-David has served as assistant superintendent in the 80,000-student Fort Bend school system for six years and said she is honored to be selected to lead Bridgeport Public Schools.

“I commit to leading by example and by listening to the needs of students, families and staff,” said Levy-David in a news release. “You will see me in schools, holding listening sessions and standing side-by-side with our educators to make Bridgeport Public Schools a destination district.”

Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Sacramento Leaders to Depart

The Atlanta Board of Education recently decided not to extend the contract of Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring beyond June 30, 2024. Herring has served at the helm of the 52,000-student school district since 2020.

“Leading Atlanta Public Schools and caring for Atlanta’s children over the last three years has truly been a dream realized for me as the Superintendent,” said Herring in a news statement. “…I remain honored to have the opportunity and platform to highlight our students, our city, and our collective success, while aiming always for continued excellence.”

Before coming to Atlanta, Herring was the superintendent of Alabama’s Birmingham City Schools. She also served as the chief academic officer for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, and the deputy superintendent of academics for the Charleston County School District in South Carolina.

Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Scott Elder and the Albuquerque school board recently announced that Elder will leave the 70,000-student school district when his current contract expires on June 30, 2024.

Elder has served as superintendent of New Mexico’s largest school district since 2021, after serving as interim superintendent for one year.

He began his career in the district as a substitute teacher and rose through the ranks as a high school teacher, middle and high school principal, and chief operations officer prior to becoming superintendent.

“Superintendent Elder has led APS through some challenging times, and we are grateful for that leadership,” said school board president Yolanda Cordova in a news statement. “We wish him well in his future endeavors, and we look forward to having his help as we transition to APS’s next era.”   

Jorge Aguilar, superintendent of California’s Sacramento Unified School District since 2017, is stepping down at the end of June. Lisa Allen, the district’s deputy superintendent will serve as acting superintendent during the district’s leadership transition.

“Every day as Sac City’s superintendent, I was motivated to change the life trajectories of our students, especially our youth least well served who are from low-income families and have low achievement levels, low graduation rates, and low college and career readiness rates,” said Aguilar in a news release. “While Sac City must continue to work to meet the needs of all students, I am proud of the strides that we made to improve academic outcomes and expand supports for the social and emotional growth, mental health, and basic needs of all students.”

District Interim Leader Named in Hillsborough County

Florida’s Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa recently selected Van Ayres, the district’s Chief of Strategic Planning and Partnerships, to become interim superintendent.

Ayres, who is a graduate of the school system, will succeed Addison Davis, who led the district for three years. Under Davis’ leadership, the district solved a $150-million financial deficit, the number of low-performing schools decreased, mental health services expanded, graduation rates increased, and the number of school-based minority leaders in the district improved.

“Thank you for allowing me to lead such an amazing school district and trusting me to serve 225,000 students and 25,000 employees,” wrote Davis in his resignation letter. “ The School Board’s leadership and support has been appreciated and I am thankful for our collaboration and laser focus on improving student performance and operational outcomes.”