Seattle Schools Superintendent Finalist - Dr. Jeanice Swift

Dr.  Jeanice Kerr Swift is 59, appears to be a white woman, now serving in her fifth year as  in Ann Arbor Public Schools.  Her husband, John, is a retired nurse; they have no children.

Here's the resume she used to apply to Ann Arbor.   I see an address and phone numbers but considering she left Colorado awhile ago, I'm sure they are no longer valid.  Her Master's is in Gifted and Talented education.


Here's video of her in conversation about working with the University of Michigan.  If she loved that place, she'll really love UW.  (Yes, you'll note that like myself and President Harris, she is vertically challenged.  She's also a twin.)

She has 30 years experience in education as a former teacher, teacher coach, principal, assistant superintendent, with the job in Ann Arbor being her first time being a superintendent.  Ann Arbor SD has 32 schools and 17,680 students (their district grew by over 1,000 students since 2013-2014).

She was named Superintendent of the Year for 2018 by the Michigan Association of School Administrators.  As well,  she was named one of the "Superintendents to Watch" by the National School Public Relations Association.

She previously worked in Colorado Springs (where another candidate, Andre Spencer, also currently works) as an Assistant Superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

She started in Ann Arbor in 2013 with a base salary of $200K with a $50K bonus for staying five years.  She had been one of two finalists but got the job when the other finalist, who was their first choice, said no.  Ann Arbor SD really wanted to keep her; in December 2016, they offered her $90K to stay thru 2020.  From their Board:

We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Swift as our superintendent. I cannot imagine anyone who - facing the challenges that we have faced over the last three-and-a-half years - could possibly have done a better job than Dr. Swift has done," Thomas said. "Ann Arbor is a tough place to be a superintendent. We have a large number of students. We have a large number of schools and programs. And we have a very demanding community that expects the best. Dr. Swift has really risen to those expectations."

I had to smile because those last couple of sentences - describing their district - sound awfully familiar. 

An early interview with her after she took the Ann Arbor job:

AnnArbor.com: How did you select Ann Arbor? Did you apply for many other jobs?

Swift: I wanted to go to a community that valued education at its very core. That’s just so essential to providing a quality product. Ann Arbor certainly checks all of those boxes.

So really, there weren’t many. I didn’t apply for very many jobs. As I said, we kind of had a rubric my husband and I used for some period of years as we were preparing for this next chapter in our lives, and we wanted to select wisely, because it’s the one that we’ll probably live in for the rest of our lives. So I was very particular about where I applied and where I didn’t apply."

I interject here as this Seattle job may be the one she wants to finish her career at so she may be in it for the long haul.

What are some of your key goals in your first several months on the job? 

There are really two primary goals. I’ll be conducting two parallel processes—one is to extend outreach into every school community, every neighborhood, to listen and learn directly from parents and stakeholders what we’re doing well as a district, and what needs our attention, and what do our stakeholders believe are the immediate next steps. 

Process number two is that I’ll be conducting a thorough analysis of what I call the back of the house operations to really become deeply knowledgeable in the district, the system and all those components—and I’m not saying I can learn it in six weeks, I know it takes a long time, but certainly get a full status from every department, every division, every area in the district. So, between now and Thanksgiving, that’s our primary focus: those two parallel processes.

She was involved in tough teacher negotiations; it's something that will have to be clarified.  It appears the district got rid of the custodian/lunchroom/bus driver union and is an "at will" district.

Toward the end of the 2014-2015 school year, conflict broke out between the school board and superintendent on one side, and numerous Ann Arbor parents and teachers on the other. [Facebook page in support of AAPS teachers:https://www.facebook.com/SupportAnnArborTeachers; Superintendent's Blog: http://news.a2schools.org/to-those-who-touch-the-future/]

Another interview: http://gomasa.org/2017/11/07/5-questions-jeanice-kerr-swift/

What was one specific policy that you had to grapple with that required building consensus among the district staff, the community and students so that AAPS could continue to be a safe and welcoming environment for all students?

One opportunity that our Board contended with and built consensus among district staff, the community, and students so that AAPS could continue to be a safe and welcoming environment were the policies we adopted in 2015 around school safety, establishing school as a “disruption-free” environment.

Our community felt strongly that the decision allowing a CPL holder to carry at school should be a local decision, based on the values of the community, not a state decision. The Board and our district leadership team navigated the process to stand up for this ideal, based on a local consensus and commitment to safety within our classrooms and schools.

Subsequently, this policy work has withstood the test of two court decisions. The district policies protecting a disruption-free environment remain in effect and represent the values of our Ann Arbor community.

She is currently part of a lawsuit with her district over guns in schools versus Michigan Gun Owners and one Ulysses Wong.  The district won the case but it was appealed where the district won again but it is now going to their Supreme Court.

From another article about her work in Ann Arbor:

For example, in innovating programs to address the community’s stated requests, the investment has transformed Northside Elementary School from a low-performing, low-enrolled school (175 students) to a thriving STEAM K-8 school, now with over 600 students enrolled. In an area where the district had been concerned about a possible closure of this campus, today it is a highly competitive school for enrollment, with demand for real estate dramatically improved within the attendance area.

In addition to the implementation of the A2STEAM at Northside K-8, we have also implemented International Baccalaureate Program, PK-12 at Mitchell Elementary, Scarlett Middle, and Huron High Schools, having received full authorization across the three schools beginning in Fall 2017. As a result, these schools have experienced a flurry of growth, particularly needed following a worrisome drop in student enrollment during the 2013-14 school year.

Fighting back for funding from Michigan Legislature:

I see no ed reform links for her so far.  It's likely she didn't think a lot about Michigan charter schools as they received a bigger bump from their legislature than did traditional schools.