Kansas City, MO – The Kansas City Missouri school board unanimously selected a new superintendent yesterday: John Covington, who currently heads a school district in Pueblo, Colorado.
Covington has been in Pueblo for the past three years. Before that he worked in several smaller districts in Alabama; he's from Montgomery, originally. Covington recently completed training at the Broad Superintendent's Academy in Los Angeles. School board president Marilyn Simmons says that preparation will benefit Kansas City's schools.
SIMMONS: They specialize in urban educational leadership. That's desperately needed in the Kansas City school district.
51 candidates applied for the position; this week, two finalists were interviewed, and introduced to the public. John Covington has accepted the job, pending final contract negotiations. The school board is hoping he will be able to start on July 1st. Kansas City's schools have been run by two interim superintendents since Anthony Amato was pressured to resign in January, 2008.
