KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Public Schools District has its next leader: Dr. Jennifer Collier.
On Wednesday evening, the KCPS Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Collier as the district’s next superintendent.
Collier, a longtime employee for KCPS, had been serving as the interim superintendent since last August.
During her time with the district, she served as a teacher and principal, among other things.
She took over after Dr. Mark Bedell resigned from KCPS and later took a job as superintendent for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools District in Maryland.
During her tenure as acting superintendent, Collier was charged with leading the district in making some tough decisions, including closing two schools.
KCPS said it received 17 applications for the job, with five total candidates interviewed and two finalists conducting a second round of interviews.
“Following a unanimous vote from the board of education, we are pleased to announce that interim superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier is the finalist to become the next permanent superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools,” said Tanesha Ford, member of the Board of Education. school board of KCPS. “She has demonstrated both in our interviews and in her interim role, her outstanding leadership, integrity and pride in our school district.”
With all smiles at the board meeting, Collier thanked the district for believing in her.
“I just want to say thank you to this advice for trusting me,” Collier said. “I am humbled, humbled and super excited about the future of KCPS and will say more later.”
The district hopes to make a formal announcement of Collier’s hiring in the near future after contract negotiations.
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