After embarking on a national search, Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, selected Joe Ernst as its next superintendent. Since 2021, he has served as the district’s Chief Continuous Improvement Officer.

Ernst has held a variety of positions in the 60,091-student school system, including co-lead area superintendent, elementary school principal, assistant principal, and elementary school teacher.  

“We are excited to begin the next phase of the hiring process and look forward to welcoming Joe Ernst to his new position as our superintendent,” said school board president Beth Smith in a news statement. “…Over many years of service to our district, we believe Mr. Ernst has proven his commitment to the students, families, and staff members of Washoe County, and we are ready and eager to move forward together.”

Ernst will succeed Kristen McNeill, who has served as the interim superintendent since November.

Also selecting a new leader was Oklahoma City Public Schools, which named Jamie Polk as the next superintendent of the 34,000-student school district. She will succeed Sean McDaniel, who has held the position since 2018.

Polk has served as the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education since 2019. In a statement, the school board credited her emphasis on innovation, building leadership capacity at all levels and fostering strong partnerships with teachers and staff with leading to tangible results, including the removal of 11 schools from the “F” list and 12 schools being eligible to exit state designation.

“With Dr. Polk's leadership, we are confident in the bright future of Oklahoma City Public Schools,” said school board chair Paula Lewis.

Historic Appointment in Fresno

California’s Fresno Unified School District recently selected Misty Her, the district’s deputy superintendent, as the interim superintendent. She will succeed Bob Nelson, who will leave the district in July after serving nearly seven years at the helm.

Her, who was born in a prisoner of war camp in Laos and immigrated to the United States at the age of five with her family, is the first woman and Asian-American to become interim superintendent of the 69,668-student school district.

A graduate of the Fresno Unified school system, she began her career as an elementary school teacher in Fresno and progressed to become the first Hmong woman principal in the United States. In 2011, Her was appointed Instructional Superintendent for School Leadership. Since 2021, she has served as the district’s deputy superintendent, overseeing student achievement, analyzing performance data, and leading district improvements in curriculum, assessments, and community relations.

Cincinnati Leader Steps Down

Iranetta Wright, superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools, recently resigned from the district she has led since 2022. Prior to her tenure in Cincinnati, she served as the deputy superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.