Longtime administrator Kim Jackson will become interim chancellor of D.C. Public Schools next week as families wait for the next mayor to name a permanent replacement.
Outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the appointment on Tuesday — the same day as the city’s primary elections — after the leading Democratic candidates vying to succeed her pledged not to retain Chancellor Lewis Ferebee in the role.
“We are proud to have another lifelong educator at the helm of DCPS,” said Ms. Bowser, who leaves office at the end of the year.
She praised Ms. Jackson’s record as a former award-winning principal at Seaton Elementary in Northwest and her recent work as chief of schools to improve student literacy and performance.
DCPS campuses have struggled in recent years with chronic absences, subpar test scores and employees hiding unreported second jobs. The system enrolled 51,293 students in 2023-24.
The District reported modest gains on its annual mathematics and English language examinations last year. But only 34.8% to 40.2% of students in all grade levels tested proficient in English, while just 15% to 31.2% of all students scored proficient in math.
“I look forward to building on our progress as we continue working together to ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive,” Ms. Jackson said Tuesday.
D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat and self-described socialist, became the deep-blue city’s presumptive mayor on Thursday after her top primary opponent conceded. Her campaign did respond immediately to an email seeking comment.
Appointed in 2019, Mr. Ferebee steps down Friday after leading the system through COVID-19 shutdowns and becoming the longest-serving chancellor in the system’s history. He announced on May 20 that he will become CEO of the nonprofit education company EdReports.
His tenure as the school system’s top official was tainted by reports of cronyism and corruption in the Bowser administration.
The Board of Ethics and Government Accountability fined former DCPS Instructional Superintendent Mary Ann Stinson $15,000 last October after she admitted to accepting nearly $170,000 in undisclosed “consulting fees” from a vendor she favored in professional development contracts.
D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson, a former Democratic member of the City Council, warned in a report last year that city employees taking unreported second jobs have become a widespread problem under Ms. Bowser.
The mayor’s office has ignored the independent auditor’s recommendation that the city require all employees to report outside income to managers annually.
Marlon Ray, a former DCPS director of strategy and logistics at Boone Elementary School in Ward 8, demanded in a May 2020 whistleblower complaint that city leaders investigate Ms. Stinson for the second job that resulted in her fine last year.
Mr. Ray lost his job in a 2021 downsizing and is suing the city for wrongful termination, insisting he was removed because of his complaint. He expressed skepticism on Thursday that anything would change until the next mayor replaces Ms. Jackson.
“The next administration will have a unique opportunity to restore trust in a school system that has been plagued by a pervasive culture of fear and retaliation,” Mr. Ray said.
The Washington Times reported in April that Lynette Collins, a D.C. Public Schools attorney, was teaching psychology classes at a Maryland community college during her government work hours, despite city ethics rules against the moonlighting practice.
The ethics and government accountability board has said it cannot confirm whether it’s investigating Ms. Collins, who remained employed in the school system as of this week.
Jeff Canady, a former DCPS kindergarten teacher, said the Bowser administration has ignored repeated complaints about her dual employment.
“Hopefully, Kim Jackson will not do anything that puts her at risk of being indicted, because I think there’s a serious need for investigations at D.C. Public Schools, especially around Lynette A. Collins,” Mr. Canady said in a phone call.
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