The Superintendent of the Philadelphia School District has been appointed. On Friday, April 1, the Philadelphia Board of Education announced the designation of Tony Watlington Sr., Ed.D.
🗣️ Philadelphia!
The Board is proud to announce the appointment of Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed.D. as the next Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.
Full announcement here ➡️ https://t.co/laLopgldiI pic.twitter.com/aNbEXWEWTB
— Philadelphia Board of Education (@PHLschoolboard) April 1, 2022
The six-month search for a Superintendent, led by the Board, has ended with this announcement. John L. Davis Jr., the Baltimore City Public School System’s chief school officer, and Krish Mohip, the Illinois State Board of Education’s deputy director of education, were the other contenders.
Watlington is seen as a collaborative, results-oriented leader who is dedicated to improving educational institutions. He is dedicated to forming collaborative school and community teams that are responsible for ensuring that all children have equal access to opportunities while reducing achievement and opportunity gaps.
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Watlington’s bio
A native of Fort Dix, New Jersey, Watlington received his undergraduate degree in History Education from N.C. A&T State University, a Master of Arts in American Political History from The Ohio State University, a Master of School Administration, and a Doctor of Educational Leadership from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a NC Principal Fellow.
He also holds training certificates from Harvard and Yale Universities and is a member of the Howard University National Urban Superintendent’s Academy sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).
His career began as a history teacher in Guilford County, NC, in 1994 and was named District Teacher of the Year in 1998. Watlington was honored as the North Carolina PTA Administrator of the Year in 2014. He received the Communities in Schools (CIS) Champion’s Cup and Business Leaders Movers and Shakers Award.
Watlington also serves on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Public School Forum.
He served as Chief of Schools in Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina and the 47th largest among 14,000 school districts in the United States.
Since January 2021, Dr. Watlington has served as superintendent of Rowan-Salisbury Schools, North Carolina’s only Renewal School District, serving over 18,000 students and families in grades PK-12. Rowan-Salisbury School District operates 33 schools.
His tenure
Tony Watlington will take over as Superintendent of the Philadelphia School District on June 16, 2022. He will replace Dr. William Hite, who has served in that role since June 2012.
The first step in onboarding Watlington will be working alongside Hite and School District stakeholders to facilitate knowledge transfer and relationship continuity.
Dr. Hite’s advice and collaboration with Dr. Watlington will be crucial to a smooth transition. Hite will be participating until the conclusion of the school year in June, when he will leave.
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