DeKalb School Board Names Rudy Crew As Sole Finalist For Superintendent

April 23rd, 2020

The DeKalb County school board chose Rudy Crew as its sole finalist for superintendent. Crew currently serves as president of Medgar Evers College in New York.

Lee Redding, Porter Novelli

The DeKalb County School District announced Thursday it’s chosen Rudy Crew as its sole finalist for superintendent.

Crew served as chancellor of the New York City Schools, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and was the state of Oregon’s first-ever chief education officer. Currently, he’s the president of Medgar Evers College in New York.

“We heard from the community that it was paramount the candidate have deep experience as an educator, an administrator and a partner to parents, teachers and students,” Board Chair Marshall Orson said in a statement. “We are excited to not only have found a finalist who meets these criteria but also has more than a quarter-century of experience in leading school districts, including a strong track record in heading two of the nation’s largest urban districts. This positions him well to lead the DeKalb County School District, which is the third-largest school system in Georgia.”

State law requires the board to wait 14 days before taking a final vote on Crew. During that time, the board says Crew will meet remotely with employees, students and community members so they can ask questions and provide feedback.

Crew began his education career as a teacher. He taught middle school and served as a high school principal in California and Massachusetts before working in district administration.

“I’ve had the rare opportunity to explore a diverse career path that led me from classroom teacher to K-12 administrator and, most recently, to higher education,” Crew said in a news release. “What this experience taught me about myself is the heart I really have for helping to shape the lives and educational outcomes of our younger students in a K-12 setting. I’m excited to get back to that important work and DeKalb is an outstanding school district where I believe my experience will be of great benefit.”

The board parted ways with former Superintendent Stephen Green in November. Green didn’t have the votes for a contract extension, and the board reached a separation agreement with him before his contract ended. The school board named Ramona Tyson interim and then permanent superintendent. Tyson has said she plans to retire in June.

If the board approves his candidacy, Crew’s official start date will be July 1.