By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
June 17, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Kansas City Public Schools Board of Directors have selected Allan Tunis, Chief Financial Officer of the KCPS, to serve as Interim Superintendent.

The board approved Tunis’s temporary position while in executive session during its June 10 school board meeting. Tunis will continue to serve as the KCPS chief executive while the board conducts its nationwide search for a permanent replacement. Current Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green announced this past May he is leaving the KCPS to take the superintendent’s position at DeKalb County School District in Georgia.

KCPS Board of Directors Chair Jon Hile said the board selected Tunis with the expectation he will continue the programs, policies and approach established by Green. Hile noted Tunis was one of Green’s first hires four years ago.

“He’s been at Dr. Green’s side for the past four years,” Hile said. “He’s worked exceptionally close with Dr. Green and the academic team to provide the strong financial footing for many of the improvements that have been made over the past four years.”

With the help and guidance of Tunis, the KCPS has produced balanced budgets for four years in a row. His staff has also garnered clean financial reviews by independent auditors for three years in a row. This past February, Standard & Poor’s Rating Service recognized this fiscal and budgetary management by increasing KCPS’ credit rating from “A” to “A+ Stable.” When it came down to making the selection, Tunis’s experience in the education field played a big role, as well. Hile joked that Tunis has been in education for almost as long as the board chair has been alive.

Tunis has more than four decades of experience in public education and administration, starting his career in 1973 teaching science and coordinating the science program for Rochester Community Schools in Rochester, Mich. He moved to the Kansas City area in 1978, when he accepted the role as principal with the Park Hill School District. Before arriving at the KCPS in 2011, Tunis also served as an administrator for 10 years for Metropolitan Community College.

“We looked at our internal options first,” Hile said. “Dr. Green provided the board with a succession plan, so we discussed that. In the end, there were a few things that really stood out with Mr. Tunis and first and foremost was his experience in education. Another part of the rational in selecting Tunis, is it provides continuity for district staff and families. When students show up for school on Aug. 10 [2015], they will receive the same experience they’ve had the last few years.”

In addition to selecting Tunis as Interim Superintendent, the board also approved a timeline for the leadership transition process. The timeline forecasts that the board will select a permanent superintendent in the late spring of 2016. Hile noted the timeline isn’t set stone and a decision could be made before next spring. The board also chose the consulting firm Ray and Associates to guide the search for candidates.

“The timing of Dr. Green’s departure made it a difficult task for us to put a permanent superintendent in place for the upcoming school year,” Hile said. “Early on, we thought we would need to go the interim route because we would need at least a few months to work with the community while also trying to develop our plan, job posting and really develop a sense of what we want our next leader to be. We feel comfortable with the timeline. We’re much more interested in hiring the right person, someone the community can rally behind and work with than we are adhering to a timeline.”

Hile explained the board will be looking at individuals who will bring the same focus and commitment to the district’s educational achievement. The board will also look at individuals who have experience leading urban school districts, which Hile said is important to the board and district.

“We also want someone who can interact and engage with the community in a meaningful way both with the parents, our students and our stakeholders,” Hile said.

The process the board approved also calls for plenty of opportunities from the community to voice their opinion before a final decision is made. Hile stressed between 10 and 15 public forums will be scheduled throughout the city so the board can get the best information they can and make a decision from there.

“There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for public engagement and we’re excited to hear from the community as to what they want our next superintendent to represent and to be what values they want,” Hile said.

Jennifer Wolfsie, KCPS parent and 2014-2015 District Advisory Committee [DAC] Vice Chair, voiced her approval in a press release on behalf of the DAC.

“As parent leaders, we’ve had the opportunity to work with Mr. Tunis and feel he clearly understands the district’s past history and future vision and is capable of executing the plan Dr. Green has been successfully executing over the last four years,” Wolfsie said. “Dr. Green built a solid team and created a set of systems and processes to allow KCPS to no longer be ‘superintendent dependent.’ We look forward to working closely with Mr. Tunis to continue to improve academic achievement for the students of KCPS.”

For more information about the Board approved search timeline and Tunis’s appointment as Interim Superintendent, visit www.kcpublicschools.org/Transition or email board@kcpublicschools.org.