The board of education in Montgomery County, Maryland, will appoint the district’s next superintendent of schools at its meeting next Tuesday.
The appointment appears as the second item on the school board’s draft agenda.
On whether Dr. Monifa McKnight, who is serving as interim superintendent, would be named to the post permanently, Chris Cram, the spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools, said in an email that he had no information on what the board has decided.
Cram did say that the appointment follows an extensive national search and that the board considered a diverse pool of exceptional candidates for the job.
“There has also been unprecedented community involvement throughout the process with thousands of citizens weighing in through surveys, forums, interviews and correspondence,” Cram said. “The level of engagement is a testament to the community’s commitment to the school system.”
A recent update on the school board’s website said that after the first round of interviews, a second round with four candidates was held. The candidates then met with a community panel made up of a group of citizens drawn from “a broad-based section of Montgomery County.”
McKnight was appointed acting/interim superintendent in March 2021, and her term is set to expire June 30.
McKnight succeeded Dr. Jack Smith, who served as superintendent for five years and left MCPS when he retired last June.
“Executives don’t normally weigh in on selections, and I don’t know the full range of candidates,” County Executive Marc Elrich said Wednesday, but he added, “I like Dr. McKnight, working with her has been a real pleasure.”
Elrich noted that McKnight came into the job of interim superintendent in the middle of the pandemic. “It’s a tough way to judge somebody,” he said.
When Elrich and the council were weighing how to provide mental health supports for students, Elrich said they were considering adding 25 positions.
“She came back with a program that basically doubled the number of mental health workers in the schools,” developed a two-year program for restorative justice, and in effect, said Elrich, broke new ground in the school system.
“I think she’s doing important work in the school system. If she’s made the permanent superintendent, I’d be very happy,” Elrich said.
You can find out more about the superintendent search on the Montgomery County schools’ website.
