On Jan. 17, after hearing nearly two and a half hours of presentations from four search firms and multiple rounds of community engagement, the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education voted to stop the search process for a new superintendent until September of 2023. 

After Board of Education Director Adriana Cerrillo suggested delaying the search process at the Jan. 17 meeting, Board Chair Sharon El-Amin shared with the board that she had spoken with Interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox about her willingness to remain in the position for another year. 

Cox’s current contract expires June 30, 2023. According to El-Amin, Cox, who was unable to attend the meeting in person because of a travel delay, indicated that she would be willing to remain in the position until June 30, 2024.

The board voted for a search firm at the meeting, despite the delay. 

Directors Lori Norvell, Collin Beachy, Ira Jourdain and Abdullah Abdi initially voted in favor of search firm BWP, with Directors Andriana Cerrillo, Fathia Feerayarre, Kim Ellison and Chair Sharon El-Amin voting in favor of the Minnesota School Boards Association. Director Sonya Emerick abstained from the vote. Ellison then switched her vote after counting was complete, giving a majority of votes to BWP.

El-Amin offered an amendment to the resolution to change the start date for BWP to no earlier than September 30, 2023. After the motion was seconded, El-Amin spoke in favor of her amendment.

“Delaying the service of the search firm, and therefore the hire timeline, will allow us to be sure that we are ready, that we are ready to do the job that we were elected to do, that we are ready to engage, at the level of engagement that our community is screaming for,” El-Amin said. “They want us to show up in the most authentic, transparent, accountable way that we possibly can, and we owe that to them.”

Director Norvell spoke against the amendment, saying, “I’m not clear on how adding this time is going to get us more community engagement when it obviously hasn't been happening. So what is different about this and why now?”

The board voted 6-3 to approve El-Amin’s amendment delaying the start of the search firm’s work until September 30, 2023. Voting in favor of the delay were El-Amin, Jourdain, Cerrillo, Ferrayarre, Abdi and Emerick. Voting against the amendment were Norvell, Beachy and Ellision.

There was a final vote to approve the amended resolution, with a majority, including El-Amin, Jourdain, Cerrillo, Ferrayarre and Emerick, voting in favor of the resolution, and Abdi, Beachy, Ellison and Norvell voting against approval of the full amendment.

Emerick said they believe that the delayed deadline for finding the next superintendent will allow ample time for community engagement and that warmer weather will make it easier for board members to meet community members where they already gather. 

“We need to develop some new mechanisms for how we’re reaching communities, because the same mechanism doesn’t work for every area of the city and every cultural group,” Emerick said.

Emerick suggested that school board members meet with community members at high school athletic events or conduct informal, one-on-one interviews with snacks instead of the listening sessions that have been happening this month. The listening sessions, which Minneapolis School voices reporters have attended, have had low attendance. 

Norvell didn’t think that the extra time to find the new superintendent would yield different results, and wants to install a permanent superintendent as soon as possible. 

“Cox is doing a great job, but it’s interim and we need stability,” Norvell said. 

The board will receive the results from the listening sessions at the Feb. 7 board meeting. El-Amin will also bring forth a resolution to extend the contract for Interim Superintendent Cox for another year.