Join Chalkbeat Indiana’s free every day e-newsletter to maintain up with Indianapolis Public Faculties, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide training information.
This text was initially printed by WFYI.
Nikki Woodson, the longtime superintendent of Washington Township Faculties, introduced she is going to retire from the district on the finish of the 2024-2025 educational yr.
Woodson has led the district for 13 years, a interval of elevated racial variety within the scholar physique and in addition enrollment fluctuations. Final yr’s commencement fee was almost 85 p.c for college kids who didn’t obtain a waiver from a requirement, and 91 p.c for all college students who earned a diploma.
Woodson additionally oversaw greater than a dozen development initiatives to enhance and rebuild amenities for college kids. This was potential because of the passage of two capital referendums, together with the biggest in state historical past, which paid for a brand new center faculty, early studying middle, athletic upgrades and extra.
“Throughout this time, the district has remodeled by overcoming complexities and challenges, embracing elevated variety of our college students, elevating achievement leading to a double-digit enhance in commencement fee, efficiently passing two main referendum campaigns and the deployment of their plans, in addition to guiding the college group by way of a world pandemic,” Woodson stated in a assertion Friday.
Woodson joined the district in 2009. In 2011 she was the assistant superintendent when the college board appointed her because the district chief, making her the primary Black girl superintendent in Marion County.
Woodson’s 2023 wage was $225,348 and her complete compensation was $390,457, in response to state knowledge. Her final day on the district is June 30, 2025.
The college board will begin a search course of to choose the following superintendent and announce the finalist this fall, in response to a district assertion.
When Woodson turned superintendent, enrollment was at 11,155 college students. This yr, the northside district enrolls round 10,700 college students. In keeping with state knowledge: 40 p.c of scholars are Black, 28 p.c are White, 22 p.c are Hispanic, and 51 p.c establish as low-income.
The district faces ongoing concern over the educational achievement of scholars of shade. Solely 9.8 p.c of Black college students and 10.4 p.c of Hispanic college students in grades 3-8 handed each the maths and English Language Arts portion of the 2023 state examination — in comparison with almost 57 p.c of their White classmates.
These inequities turned a spotlight within the combat over an all-girls constitution faculty opening within the township. The constitution operators argued they may provide the next high quality training than what is out there in Washington Township for economically deprived and Black college students. District leaders sought to dam the college however ultimate approval was given by the Metropolis-County Council.
Woodson plans to deal with “equitable achievement,” amongst different points, throughout her ultimate yr, the district assertion stated.
Woodson additionally led two referendum campaigns that received robust help from native voters.
In 2020, voters accepted a $285 million development referendum and an eight-year $128 million working referendum. In 2016, voters additionally supported two district referendums. The native property tax enhance supported instructor pay and the price of main amenities, similar to the brand new Northview Center Faculty, a fieldhouse at North Central Excessive Faculty, and an Early Studying Heart.
“The board understands that this can be a important place that can form the long run imaginative and prescient of WTS,” Deirdre George Davis, faculty board president, stated in an announcement. “Equally necessary to the choice course of will probably be a transition between Dr. Woodson and her successor. We’ll develop a strategic timeline in order that district operations and deal with equitable achievement stay uninterrupted.”
The district’s final day for college kids to attend class this educational yr is Could 23.
Eric Weddle is the WFYI training editor. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org
