D.C. Public Schools Chancellor to Leave in September
By • June 29, 2016 0 1045
In a joint announcement on June 29, two days before Kaya Henderson’s 46th birthday, she and Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that Henderson’s last day as chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools will be Sept. 30. Upon her departure, Chief of Schools John Davis will serve as interim chancellor, said the mayor.
“We can all be proud of her team and her tenure as the second longest-serving leader of DCPS,” said Bowser in a statement, calling Henderson’s departure “an incredible opportunity for our city to continue to improve how we are delivering high-quality education to our students.”
Henderson became interim chancellor in November of 2010, following the resignation of the first DCPS chancellor, the attention-getting and controversial Michelle Rhee, with whom Henderson had worked closely. In 2011, then-Mayor Vincent Gray removed Henderson’s interim designation.
Mayor Bowser called DCPS “the fastest improving urban school district in the country,” noting that it has grown from 45,000 students when Henderson was appointed to its present enrollment of nearly 49,000.
