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New Orleans Names New Leader; Kansas City Superintendent Receives Contract Extension

  • NOLA Public Schools recently appointed Fateama Fulmore to permanently take the helm as the district’s superintendent. She has served as the interim superintendent of the 41,583-student school district since November.New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent, Fateama Fulmore

    “I’m excited for Dr. Fulmore to take on this role,” Board President Katie Baudouin said in a press release. “Dr. Fulmore has led us to the success we’re currently seeing as a district, and I look forward to her continuing the momentum as permanent superintendent, because that’s ultimately what was the deciding factor for me.”

    Prior to her interim appointment, Fulmore served as deputy superintendent for NOLA Public Schools. She started her career as a middle school teacher in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and has held leadership roles in The School District of Philadelphia and Nebraska’s Omaha Public Schools. 

     “This is my life’s work,” Fulmore said in a news statement after being named superintendent. “Today, my dreams have come true, and I want to ensure all our students are afforded the same opportunity to see their dreams come true too.”

    Fulmore is a 2024 graduate of the Council of the Great City Schools’ Michael Casserly Urban Executive Leadership Institute. The Casserly Institute – named after the Council’s former executive director – trains current and aspiring superintendents to lead large urban districts.

    Contract Extension in Kansas City

    Jennifer Collier, superintendent of Missouri’s Kansas City Public Schools, was recently given a new three-year contract extension to lead the 14,725-student school district through June 2028.Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent, Jennifer Collier

    “The KCPS team brings so much passion to the work every day! I am honored to continue to lead such a committed community of students, talented educators and staff,” said Collier in a press release. “We know great opportunities lie ahead as we continue the work to ensure that our students thrive. I look forward to what we can achieve together.”

    Collier was named superintendent in March 2023, and under her leadership, the district has seen a surge in key performance indicators—rising enrollment, improved state test scores, increased graduation rates, and growing state and national recognition for student achievements.

    In addition, voters recently approved a $474-million school bond, the first time in nearly 60 years that a bond has passed to benefit Kansas City schools.