PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Over three days this week, the Philadelphia School District is introducing the city to the three men who want to be the city’s next schools superintendent. The first of those men, Baltimore Chief of Schools John Davis, came to town Monday.
Davis is a father of three, a former middle school math teacher, and a principal. After six years as chief of schools for the District of Columbia, he has spent the last five years with the same role in Baltimore. It’s a district half the size, but demographically similar to Philadelphia.
Meeting with parents at Philadelphia school headquarters, Davis said he would improve transparency by owning and explaining his decisions. He was asked about teachers leaving the profession, and said having a strong bench was important.
“We can talk about curriculum. We can talk about teaching. But if we don’t get the right people in front and if we don’t have either a pipeline, or working with human capital to really uplift the best in Philadelphia to say, ‘Okay, whoever is the best and wants to teach kids, come here,’” said Davis.
Davis said the role of a leader is to galvanize adults in the mission of serving students.
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“You’ve probably seen teachers that have done a great job teaching, regardless of administration," he said. "But a strong administration can lift all teachers, can lift all students when it’s done right.”
Davis said he was a strong proponent of creating a culture that holds educators accountable, and he used the example of his daughter’s elementary school in Washington, D.C.
Once a struggling school, Davis said it now has a culture that every parent wishes for.
“You know when you walk into your child’s school that, ‘Like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m so glad that he or she is there,'" he said.
"It may not be a vision, but it is a feeling that you have as a parent. And we have to get to the point that that is the case for everyone.”
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As for closing the equity gap, Davis said he worked in Baltimore to match investments with the needs of individual neighborhoods. He added that he admired the Philadelphia School Board’s adoption of academic targets.
“What gives me hope is that the board has had what I think is the guts to put out goals for the system,” said Davis.
“A lot of places don’t want to put out goals. They just want to do school, and whatever happens is whatever happens.”
At an evening town hall at school headquarters, Davis said it wasn’t lost on him that he’s a white man seeking equity in a majority Black and brown district.
“I always feel like I have to bring my best and I have to prove myself every single day in this," he said. "Because frankly, there have been too many white people that have not.”
In the end, he saw his job as one of service.
“I don’t want the job for me," said Davis. "I want the job because in the end, it’s about students having way better experiences, being educated better, and having life opportunities that they don’t have now.”
Krish Mohip, the deputy education officer for the Illinois State Board of Education, and Tony Watlington, the superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury School District in North Carolina, are the other candidates. Mohip will have his day-long interview Tuesday, while Watlington appears Wednesday.
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Each candidate is meeting with school district officials, students, teachers, principals, parents, guardians and elected leaders.
Watch Davis' conversation as part of a Monday night town hall below.
Watch Davis’ conversation with select Philadelphia School District students below.
Watch Davis’ conversation with parents and other stakeholders below.
The school board aims to name a replacement for outgoing superintendent William Hite next week.