As expected, the Burlington Board of School Commissioners introduced Yaw Obeng as the new, permanent Superintendent of Burlington Schools on Thursday. Obeng comes to Burlington with more than 20 years educational experience as a teacher, principal, and district administrator in the Toronto and Halton, Ontario Schools. School Board Chair Patrick Halladay announced the hiring decision.
"Throughout our thorough and inclusive search process, we worked diligently to find the best leader for our school district. We sought a leader with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to help us build on our considerable strengths and address our challenges. Yaw Obeng has the experience and enthusiasm we wanted for our District."
"I feel honored and privileged to serve the students, staff and community members of the Burlington School District,” said Obeng in response to receiving the Board’s offer. “Education is an equity issue for everyone. We are fortunate to live in a part of the world where we can provide access to intellectual and emotional development for our young people. I look forward to working with our Board and staff to engineer success for each and every student."
It has been a tumultuous couple of years for the district as the previous superintendent left under duress, the high school suffered through the well publicized scandal of a teacher having an inappropriate relationship with a student, there have been problems with the diversity program, the school budget was defeated and an auditor found that the district had been running an unacknowledged $2.5 million deficit for three years, and the board acting as the interim superintendent quit in a squabble with the school board itself.
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The incoming superintendent comes to Burlington, Vermont from Burlington, Ontario, where he is a district superintendent leading 12 of the approximately 100 schools in the 60,000 student Halton District. “Yaw brings a deep knowledge of teaching and learning with him, along with a dedication to equity and inclusion. We were impressed with the widespread opinion of how well he has distinguished himself in building relationships with families and communities,” said Halladay. He will be paid $153,000 a year.
Halladay and Commissioner Brian Cina, who chaired the Ad Hoc Search Committee, made a point to convey the Board’s appreciation to the staff, community members, and Board members who served on our Superintendent Search Advisory Committee. “Their wide range of perspectives and experiences enriched the process and helped us to make the best possible choice for our new District leader,” said Cina. “We also thank Ray and Associates, the recruitment consultant used by the Board to assure a successful search, and The Center for Secondary School Redesign, which helped us better define the role of the superintendent and advanced our thinking on interviewing practice. As a result, the Board was able to select from two excellent, highly qualified finalists.”
The superintendent search was a far-reaching process with extensive focus on ensuring a high level of input and engagement from community members, District personnel, and students, and attracted roughly 60 applicants from across the country and Canada. “The high degree of interest in the position is testament to the reputation of the Burlington School District as a high quality educational program and the desirability of Burlington as one of the most livable cities in the United States,” noted Halladay.
Yaw Obeng will succeed Interim Superintendent Howard Smith, who did not seek appointment to the permanent superintendent post. He is expected to begin his employment with the Burlington School District on July 1, 2015.
Source: BurlingtonBoard of School Commissioners. 2.12.2015. Pronunciation guidance: Yaw Obeng (Yow O-beng), Brian Cina (Chee-na)