UCS Superintendent Finalist For Job in Kentucky

Utica Community Schools may soon be looking for a new superintendent.

Dr. Christine Johns is one of two finalists for the superintendent post at the nation’s 28th-largest school district, Jefferson County Public Schools, in Louisville KY.

According to DNJ.com, the Jefferson County School Board announced Wednesday after a four-hour private meeting that either long-time educators Johns or Donna Hargens of North Carolina will replace Superintendent Sheldon Berman, whose contract expires June 30.

“It’s a unique opportunity for her (Johns),” said UCS representative Tim McAvoy, who added that it’s not unusual for search firms to approach candidates they believe would be a good fit for an open position.

Both Johns and Hargens have said they would like to be in place before the Jefferson County Public School year begins on Aug. 15.

McAvoy said UCS has not started looking for a replacement until it knows for sure Johns got the job at Jefferson County Public Schools.  

If Johns is hired, the UCS School Board would begin the superintendent search process. In 2010, Johns made $190,250 as the UCS Superintendent.

Johns, 45, and Hargens, 53, were chosen from a list of 28 applicants.

Johns, a Pennsylvania native, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. While at Harvard University, she received her doctorate in administration, planning and social policy from the Urban Superintendents Program.

Before coming to UCS in 2005, Johns served as a deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction in Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland, a district of about 108,000 students, DNJ.com reported.