Kalamazoo's School Board has unanimously picked the person they hope will be the district's next superintendent. Rita Raichoudhuri (pronounced "rye-CHOW-dur-ee") is now the head of early college and career education for the Chicago Public Schools.
Raichouduri told Kalamazoo School Board board members during her second interview that learning never stops.
"It's really the foundation of continuous learning cycles that a leader in and a community would need to go through together in order to achieve continuous improvement."
Kalamazoo School Board members voted on Wednesday, February 19, to begin contract negotiations with Raichouduri. She would replace Michael Rice, who Kalamazoo in 2019 to become Michigan's superintendent of public instruction.
Kalamazoo School Board President Patti Sholler-Barber says trustees realized the importance of the decision.
"We know the decision we are tasked to make in choosing our next leader has huge implications for the future of the Kalamazoo Public Schools and 13,000 children."
School Board trustees said they chose Raichouduri because she is "process-oriented" and "data-driven." They also say she's proven to be popular in Chicago, where her experience could help get a retooled Education for Employment program off the ground in the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency district. Trustees say other plusses for Raichouduri were her work to recruit new minority teachers and using "restorative justice" techniques.
Raichoudhuri is expected to start her new job in Kalamazoo on July first.
You can stay in touch with WMUK news on Facebook, Twitter,and by signing up for our eNewsletter.
