Champaign Unit 4 is scooping its next superintendent from a school district in the suburbs of Washington, DC.
Geovanny Ponce is a top administrator in Fairfax County Public Schools. He grew up in Honduras and began his career as a bilingual teacher.
Ponce has two decades of teaching and administrative experience and has a doctorate in education from Texas A&M University.
Unit 4 made the announcement Monday morning. The school board is scheduled to vote on the pick Monday night.
Unit 4 administrators said in the announcement Ponce helped Fairfax County schools make measurable gains in equity, academic performance, school climate and teacher conditions.
“The Board, on behalf of a grateful community, extends its profound thanks to Acting
Superintendent Dan Casillas for his steady, selfless leadership over the past nine months,” said Unit 4 Board President Tony Bruno in a statement. When called upon to step into the breach, Mr. Casillas did so without fanfare and righted our ship.
“Dr. Ponce will lead our district into its next chapter with a focus on academic excellence for all
students. His talents and temperament reflect what the community demanded of our next
superintendent.”
The school board voted out former superintendent Shelia Boozer in the spring after new members were elected to the group.
Critics opposed Boozer’s communication style, saying she was not transparent or effective. Her supporters said she was a normal superintendent who improved academic performance, arguing the criticism was rooted in racism against Black women.
Fairfax County Public Schools was the 12th largest school district in the country in 2021, according to federal data. Unit 4 is much smaller. No Illinois school district aside from Chicago cracks the list of top 100 large districts in the country.