社区黑料

Four district leaders, from Texas, Maine, Kentucky and Maryland, have been named finalists for National Superintendent of the Year. They were selected by for their leadership, communication, professionalism and community involvement, according to the nonprofit. The 2026 honoree will be announced during the February in Nashville, Tennessee.

The finalists were asked about top education issues and trends in a Jan. 8 online discussion. Here’s some of what they had to say.

Roosevelt Nivens

Nivens has led Lamar Consolidated Independent School District in south Texas since 2021. The district, which has roughly 49,000 students, has been fast-growing, with 15 schools opening during Nivens鈥� tenure. 

As an educator with 30 years of experience, Nivens serves on the Texas Association of School Administrators. He has received top superintendent awards in recent years from the National Association of State Boards of Education and the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents. Before his current role, Nivens was a teacher and assistant principal in Dallas. He holds degrees from Liberty University and Texas A&M-Commerce.

When asked about artificial intelligence use in schools, Nivens said AI helps teachers 鈥済et back to the human side of teaching.鈥� His district is creating policies so educators can utilize AI tools for administrative tasks like lesson planning. 

鈥淲e want to help students use it responsibly,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our job, so they will know exactly what it is and what they should and should not use it for.鈥�

Family engagement is also a popular topic in Nivens鈥� district. He said Lamar Consolidated not only hosts parent workshops, but the district organizes events at places like apartment complexes to cater to families at their homes

Heather Perry

It鈥檚 been a decade since Perry became superintendent of Gorham School District, which serves 2,800 students in southern Maine. Over the past 30 years, she has worked her way up from educational technician, middle school social studies teacher and building principal.

Perry serves on the executive board of the Maine School Superintendents Association. She鈥檚 the first district leader in her state to be named a national finalist for Superintendent of the Year. She received degrees from the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine.

Perry said her district began highlighting post-graduate options besides college roughly eight years ago. She helped create , a K-12 program that exposes students to career pathways. Kindergartners learn about future career goals, while middle schoolers get hands-on experiences in fields like health care, business and technology through community partnerships. High schoolers venture outside the school building to get a head start on their careers with local businesses.

Perry said she would rather see  juniors and seniors traveling to early college classes, internships, apprenticeships and 鈥渄oing real-life career experiences鈥� than sitting in school.

The program began with 35 students and now is at capacity, with 140. It has grown from five business partners to 90.

鈥淭here used to be a stigma attached to students who attended (career technical education) schools,鈥� Perry said. 鈥淭hat stigma is gone now. Students who want to go to MIT or engineering schools see the value of going into a (career technical education) program. We鈥檝e done a nice job in Gorham.鈥�

Demetrus Liggins

Liggins is superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Kentucky, the state鈥檚 second-largest district with more than 42,000 students. He鈥檚 been in the education field for 25 years, serving in roles from a dual-language teacher to building principal. He was previously a superintendent of two Texas school districts.

In 2020, Liggins was recognized as a superintendent to watch by the National School Public Relations Association. He holds degrees from the University of Texas, Stephen F. Austin University and California State University.

Liggin鈥檚 tenure at Fayette County Public Schools has also been the focus of scrutiny over finances. In September, two Kentucky lawmakers over what they described as budget inconsistencies and . He was also by his budget director, prompting an by the school board. 

While Liggins hasn鈥檛 publicly responded to the investigation, he in November that budget inconsistencies were the result of miscommunication.

When it comes to funding, Liggins said, cuts made by the Trump administration have cost the district at least one federal grant, and extra money for Title I, II and III grants is at risk. He鈥檚 turning to state legislators to help fill future funding gaps.

With budget shortfalls a top concern, Liggins said he鈥檚 increasing his involvement in his own district鈥檚 finances. Administrators used to report on the district budget to his deputy superintendent but now come to him directly. He said he鈥檚 also attending conferences with his business office to learn more.

鈥淭hat understanding is very helpful when you go to speak to legislators about the (funding) formula,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ackground knowledge has been very helpful.鈥�

Sonja Santelises

This is Santelises鈥� 10th year as chief executive officer of Baltimore City Schools, which serves 77,000 students. She was previously the district鈥檚 chief academic officer and has held leadership positions in Boston Public Schools, was a lecturer at Harvard University and served as a vice president at The Education Trust.

Santelises is a Carnegie Foundation board member and chair of the Council of the Great City Schools and has been recognized for her leadership at the and levels. Santelises earned degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University.

Baltimore City Schools has been accused of and during Santelises’ tenure. 

The key to attracting talent and preventing teacher burnout is to have high-quality principals, she said. Teachers in Baltimore City tend to stay if they鈥檙e placed in schools where their principal understands how to support them. 

鈥淢aking sure we鈥檙e keeping salaries and benefits competitive (is important) because teaching is hard work,鈥� she said. 鈥淓verybody wants to know they are being recognized.鈥�

Santelises said her district also prevents turnover by allowing teachers to use a career ladder to change their roles so they spend less time in the classroom and more time coaching other staff.

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