The Anchorage School District has announced three finalists in its search for a new superintendent. Superintendent Deena Bishop announced in November that she would step down at the end of the school year.
Jharrett Bryantt is an executive officer in the Houston Independent School District in Houston, Texas. He has also worked as a geometry teacher, college advisor and assistant superintendent in that district. As the executive officer of the district’s office of talent, he has helped increase teachers’ starting pay and recruited teachers of color by subsidizing tuition, according to his resume.
“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and partner with the community to create a shared vision of educational excellence,” he wrote in his bio on the ASD website. “I have a track record of leading academic gains and attracting top talent into one of America’s largest and most diverse school districts.”
Mathew Neal has been the superintendent of the Woodland Park School District in Woodland Park, Colorado, since July 2021. He was superintendent of the American Creativity Academy in Kuwait from 2015 to 2021. According to his resume, he has worked to improve the Woodland Park School District’s connections with staff, families, charter schools and homeschooling parents.
“Anchorage has the best teachers and staff that I have ever met,” he wrote in his bio. “The work of the Board, Dr. Bishop, and current leaders are well on the way to making the district one of the finest in the United States and I am looking forward to moving this work forward as we continue along a path of growth for all students.”
Frank Hauser has been the superintendent of the Sitka School District, also since July. Before moving to Sitka, he was a music teacher, director of fine arts, assistant principal and principal of Anchorage’s Robert Service High School. In 2019, he was named Alaska Principal of the Year. According to his resume, he has worked with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka Sound Science Center and the Forest Service to increase experiential learning opportunities for students.
“The Anchorage School District was my home for over two decades, and I care deeply about the students, parents, families, and staff in the district,” he wrote.
Bryantt, Neal and Hauser will tour the district, meet with students and staff, participate in town halls and have final interviews with the school board on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday’s community town hall will be held on Zoom from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A feedback survey will also be published online.
“Your feedback is greatly valued as we look to select the candidate who best aligns with the values, vision, direction, and goals of the Anchorage School District,” school board president Margo Bellamy wrote in a letter to families Friday afternoon.
The school board will then review the survey results and make its final selection.
The finalists’ bios and resumes, and the results of community surveys, are available on the district’s website.
[Sign up for Alaska Public Media’s daily newsletter to get our top stories delivered to your inbox.]
