After one of only two remaining candidates suddenly dropped out last week, the Seattle School Board voted unanimously on Thursday, April 12, to offer the position of Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools to Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson.
During a news conference following the board meeting, board director Cheryl Chow announced that Goodloe-Johnson had accepted the position, subject to final contract details being agreed upon.
"We are delighted to attract such a high-caliber superintendent to Seattle," Chow said. "Dr. Goodloe-Johnson's strengths and leadership skills became crystal clear as we saw her in action here in Seattle. Our appreciation for her skills as an educator, a leader and as a person was only deepened during our visit to Charleston."
School board director Michael DeBell, who is chair of the board's finance committee, also commented on Dr. Goodloe-Johnson's strong leadership in the financial arena.
"When [she] stepped into the superintendent role in Charleston County, she inherited a budget deficit," DeBell said. "Not only did Maria turn that situation around, but she also led her team to examine all expenditures and to redirect the district's resources to align with academic priorities.
"This mirrors the work that we have started here in Seattle, and I am confident that Dr. Goodloe-Johnson will sustain and enhance those efforts."
As superintendent of Charleston County School District, Dr. Goodloe-Johnson is responsible for the administration and supervision of a school system with 43,000 students, 5,500 employees and a $308-million budget. Prior to joining Charleston County School District in 2003, she served the students of Corpus Christi Independent School District in Texas, where she held the role of assistant superintendent.
Dr. Goodloe-Johnson has also served as director of secondary instruction, St. Vrain Valley School District, Longmont, Colo. (1994-1999), and as high school principal and assistant principal (1988-1994).
She began her career as a high school special education teacher in Colorado.
Goodloe-Johnson holds a bachelor of science in special education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; a master of arts in educationally handicapped K-12 from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley and a Ph.D. in educational administration, supervision, curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver. She is also a 2003 graduate of the prestigious Board Superintendent's Academy.
