Join Chalkbeat Indiana’s free each day publication to maintain up with Indianapolis Public Faculties, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide schooling information.
This text was initially revealed by WFYI.
The Board of Schooling of the Metropolitan Faculty District of Washington Township unanimously authorised Sean Taylor because the superintendent of faculties starting July 1, 2025. Taylor presently serves because the affiliate superintendent for Washington Township Faculties.
Earlier this 12 months, the district’s longtime superintendent Nikki Woodson introduced she would retire on the finish of the 2024-2025 college 12 months. In her 13 years as superintendent, Woodson oversaw a number of building initiatives, together with a brand new center college and athletic upgrades.
Taylor shall be paid a base wage of $220,000 with the chance for board authorised raises yearly. He can even obtain a further automotive and mobile phone allowance of $1,250 per thirty days. Woodson’s 2023 wage was $225,348 and her whole compensation was $390,457, in line with state information.
Taylor has been with the district for the previous 16 years. He was employed as affiliate superintendent in 2020 after serving as principal of center and elementary colleges within the district.
“I’m so excited to proceed the crew primarily based method that we’ve had in Washington Township,” Taylor mentioned on the Wednesday evening board assembly. “The job is manner too huge to do individually, and the stakes are too excessive, and our youngsters matter an excessive amount of. And in order that crew primarily based method will maintain into this transition.”
Board member Tracey Horth Krueger mentioned throughout the assembly that Taylor’s imaginative and prescient for the way forward for the district was the “most enjoyable factor that we had heard.”
“We have been very happy, and impulsively, there was no concern anymore. We really feel like we’ve been in good arms. We really feel like we’ll proceed to be in good arms,” Krueger mentioned.
Taylor earned a doctorate in government instructional management from Indiana College.
Washington Township Faculties has an enrollment of round 10,500 college students, and greater than half qualify without cost or decreased lunch. About 40 p.c of scholars are Black, and 22 p.c are Hispanic. Lately, the district has struggled with racial disparities in take a look at scores. Final college 12 months, 97 p.c of white college students within the district handed the IREAD examination in comparison with 81.5 p.c of Black college students.
These disparities raised considerations in regards to the district’s capability to show Black and Brown college students. In response, constitution college community Paramount Faculties of Excellence earlier this 12 months opened a Ok-8 all-girls college within the district, Ladies IN STEM Academy. Many district officers and neighborhood members pushed again on the necessity for one more college within the district.
The district is holding a reception for Taylor on Nov. 4. The district’s final day of lessons for this college 12 months is Could 23.
Contact WFYI Marion County schooling reporter Sydney Dauphinais at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.
