Kansas City school district names Jennifer Collier as its next superintendent

After a national search, longtime Kansas City Public Schools administrator Jennifer Collier was named the district’s next superintendent, officials announced Wednesday.

In closed session, the school board voted unanimously to select Collier as the lone finalist for the job, an announcement that was met with applause from the crowd at Wednesday’s board meeting. Collier, who has served as interim superintendent since Mark Bedell resigned last summer, has earned the endorsement of many prominent community members throughout Kansas City, as well as several faith leaders.

She has worked for KCPS for 23 years, as a teacher, principal, chief human resource officer and deputy superintendent. Most recently, she helped guide the district through the first phase of a restructuring plan, responding to community feedback by reducing the number of school closures next fall from four buildings to two.

“I am just humbled, I am honored and I am super excited about the future of KCPS,” Collier said Wednesday.

The school board in October contracted with JG Consulting to conduct the district’s national superintendent search. Board member Tanesha Ford said 17 people applied for the position. Five candidates were interviewed, and the field was narrowed down to two earlier this month. Officials have not said who the other candidate was.

Ford said the school district will make an announcement on Collier’s contract in the near future.

“Dr. Collier has proven both in our interviews, and in her role as interim, her exceptional leadership, integrity and pride in our school district,” Ford said. “She has our full confidence as an administrator deeply rooted in our schools and community. Dr. Collier has respect for our historic legacy and has true vision for our bright future.”

Former superintendent Bedell last summer accepted the top leadership position at Anne Arundel County Public Schools, based in Annapolis, Maryland. After serving for six years, Bedell broke the district’s revolving door of leaders, serving the longest of any superintendent in more than five decades.

Many credited that stable leadership with helping the district improve and regain community trust, after a history of enrollment decline and a two-decade-long struggle to regain full state accreditation. During Bedell’s tenure, the district raised academic achievement scores and graduation rates, helping it to finally become accredited once again in January 2022.

Many community members said they were happy with the decision to appoint Collier as interim superintendent, viewing her as someone who also was instrumental in helping achieve the recent successes and who is a “homegrown” leader, committed to staying.

She stepped in during a critical time, as officials were working to gain community buy-in for a long-term restructuring plan that last fall included a proposal to close 10 schools over several years.

That proposal led to widespread outcry, petitions and heated public meetings. Taking the feedback, district leaders reeled back the plan, and recommended closing only Troost and Longfellow elementary schools next fall. The school board approved the closures with a 4-2 vote in January.

Officials say they might propose closing more schools in the coming years, as the district struggles to operate an overstock of under-enrolled, aging buildings. But Collier said she hopes to capitalize on the energy seen among parents and neighborhood leaders and to rally the community to grow enrollment, improve student achievement and avoid more closures.

Before the school board voted to close the two schools, several community members said they support Collier as superintendent.

“I think it is important that we maintain the confidence that she has instilled in the community and build on the good will she has established,” Alissia Canady, a former city council member and Northeast High School graduate, told the board.

Last month, several Kansas City clergy members gathered at St. Paul Monument of Faith Church in the Northeast area to endorse Collier for superintendent, surrounded by signs crafted by KCPS students, which read, “Dr. Collier is the change” and “KCPS is in good hands with Dr. Collier.”

The faith leaders said they were confident Collier could continue to build that support and reinvigorate the district, which for years has reported dwindling enrollment as more students leave for charter schools and suburban districts.

“She has the trust of the community, as demonstrated in her handling of the difficult and ongoing school closing process,” the Rev. John Modest Miles, of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, said last month. “She has the trust and support of the teachers and their union. Kansas City Public Schools are in the mist of a rise. Dr. Collier is the surest way to keep this momentum going.”

Collier earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, a master’s in education from Avila University and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She received her doctoral degree in educational leadership from UMKC in 2018.