1 Fairfax County Superintendent Candidate Out Of Consideration

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — After reports surfaced of two finalists in the Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent search, it was reported that one of the candidates bowed out of the process.

The Fairfax County School Board is in the midst of selecting a new superintendent after Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced he would leave at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Over the weekend the Fairfax NAACP shared names of two reported finalists after receiving details from whistleblowers. These two candidates included Cheryl Logan, superintendent of Omaha Public Schools, and Michelle Reid, superintendent of Northshore School District in Washington.

After the Fairfax NAACP report was published, the Omaha World-Herald reported that Logan previously told her school district she would no longer be a candidate for the Fairfax County superintendent search.

In response to details shared publicly about candidates, the Fairfax County School Board released a statement requesting "respect for the confidentiality of all applicants while we complete the process." The School Board should have a superintendent finalist to announce in the next few weeks, according to the statement.

After Logan's withdrawal from the process was announced, Fairfax NAACP noted the decision was made before the organization published its report. The organization did not have an update on Reid's finalist status.

Fairfax NAACP's report was released after the organization unsuccessfully attempted to get on a community panel to meet with finalists. The organization expressed concerns about a lack of representation for students of color, students with disabilities, and English language learners. After the panel, whistleblowers shared comparisons of Logan and Reid.

Logan would have the first Black superintendent of FCPS, Virginia's largest school district, according to the Fairfax NAACP. A female superintendent would become the district's second in its history. The school district has a diverse student body of approximately 180,000.

"We formally request that the FCPS School Board bring in a Superintendent with the qualifications, experience, and knowledge to lead a school system of the size, diversity, and complexity of FCPS," the Fairfax NAACP stated. "When the School Board makes its final selection, we look forward to learning that they made a decision based on deep experience with comparable districts and a track record with transformation in complex school districts."