Editor鈥檚 note: Education Week Staff Writer Olina Banerji served as moderator of the panel discussion among the four finalists for AASA鈥檚 National Superintendent of the Year award held Jan. 9 at the National Press Club here.
Public schools need better programming, innovation, and funding to compete amid an expansion of school choice, according to the four 2025 finalists for National Superintendent of the Year.
鈥淭he fact is that the No. 1 choice for educating all the children in our community is the public education system,鈥� said David Moore, superintendent of the Indian River County school district in Florida, which has some of the most expansive school choice policies in the country. 鈥淲hy on earth would we allow anyone else to tell our story? In public education, we need to be authors of our own reform.鈥�
Moore, along with the three other superintendents on the panel, are finalists for the National Superintendent of the Year, co-presented by AASA, The School Superintendent鈥檚 Association, financial services firm Corebridge Financial, and Sourcewell, a school purchasing solutions provider. The winner will be named at a national conference in New Orleans in early March.
A new federal administration will take charge under Donald Trump on Jan. 20. And the new administration鈥檚 proclivity toward channeling tax dollars to school choice programs has been clear.
According to an Education Week analysis, 28 states and the District of Columbia have programs that give parents tax dollars to spend on educational options outside of public schools. The use of vouchers, education savings accounts, and direct tax credits, among other spending options, are likely to grow with support from the Trump administration.
Superintendents, acting as chief executives for their districts, have to 鈥渞eframe鈥� their thinking and innovate to include more choices within public education, said Debbie Jones, the superintendent of the Bentonville, Ark., school district.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a particular problem with school choice. I have a problem that public schools have been left out of the discussion,鈥� said Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr., the superintendent of Jefferson County schools in Alabama.
A focus on careers can help, superintendents say
Superintendents on the panel were clear that building out their school-to-career pipelines will make public schools a competitive option for students.
To help his district compete for students, Gonsoulin said he鈥檚 launched more than 20 high-school-level 鈥渁cademies,鈥� or specialized, certificate-awarding schools.
69传媒 interested in these academies can travel to the high school where they鈥檙e located, without having to switch schools. The transportation鈥攂uses, with Wi-Fi鈥攊s on the district鈥檚 tab, said Gonsoulin.
These academies cover several subjects, from agriculture to automotive engineering, and give students a path to a career right after graduation. The superintendent鈥檚 team also mapped the job vacancies in their area to offer courses that would help students get high-wage jobs within a 50-mile radius of the district.
With more choices, the number of industry certifications awarded went from 1,000 to 4,000 within the first year of the academies launching, Gonsoulin said.
Jones, from Arkansas, launched a professional studies program in 2016 and had to re-frame her own expectations of what these career-oriented classes would look like. She was anxious about the curriculum standards, and what books or materials would be used.
鈥淲e have to unlearn everything we learn about curriculum,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat we follow is what business and industry calls for that class.鈥�
These classes help students gain certifications, but more crucially, said Jones, they鈥檙e able to build networks with the professionals they intern with鈥攆or instance, in the health care sector.
The state鈥檚 biggest employer, Walmart, has hired over 50 student interns from the district.
This work has to start early
To redesign public school systems to incorporate more choice, Moore said it鈥檚 important to remember that current elementary students may go into careers that don鈥檛 exist yet. 69传媒 will have to develop inherent traits鈥攍ike curiosity鈥攖o keep up with an evolving job market.
鈥淚n elementary schools, we鈥檙e going to be intentional about students leaving with curiosity and questioning absolutely everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n middle school, we are going to be strategic about making sure they are creative and problem solvers.鈥�
Moore said 78 percent of the district鈥檚 most recent graduates had leveraged Advanced Placement classes, dual enrollment and certification programs, and Cambridge certifications.
Moore said his district also dropped certain career programs that didn鈥檛 lead to high-paying jobs, and is focusing instead on introducing certifications for nursing, and expanding their welding program.
There are other supportive factors, too, that can help boost students鈥� interest in coming to school. Staffing schools with qualified and motivated teachers can help, said Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, the superintendent of the Peoria, Ill., public schools.
Desmoulin-Kherat started her superintendency in 2015 with close to 180 teacher vacancies across the 13,000-student district. The district implemented a grow-your-own program to train and certify a larger and more diverse group of candidates as full-time teachers. Desmoulin-Kherat also pushed for the Peoria district to become a J-1 visa sponsor to hire teachers internationally. Under her leadership, the district has hired 116 teachers from 16 countries to bridge the acute staff shortage.
The four leaders also stressed the importance of communicating with their communities, especially with students from all grades. The conversations, they said, help them peek into students鈥� goals and aspirations, which start forming as early as kindergarten.
