Updated Feb. 9, 2026 at 10:00 p.m.
Champaign Unit 4 Schools will have a new superintendent, starting in July.
Geovanny Ponce comes from Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, one of the largest districts in the country, where he is a top administrator.
Ponce earned a master’s degree in public education from the University of Houston and his doctorate in education from Texas A&M. He has two decades of experience teaching and leading schools.
Ponce said memories of his childhood in Honduras motivated him to ensure every student gets a quality education.
“If you knew me probably 50 years ago, you wouldn’t recognize me, living in poverty. Education changed my life. Because of a good teacher, I’m here today,” Ponce said.
The Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education approved Ponce as superintendent on Monday evening. Board vice president Fatima Ahmed said Ponce’s personal touch won her over.
“It was not your extensive experience,” said Ahmed. “And it was not… the way that you improved scores in every school that you’ve been [in]. But it’s the way you talk about students. It’s the way you humanize, and you connect with students [and] their families, that’s what moved me.”
Six board members voted to approve Ponce. Board member Justin Michael Hendrix abstained.
Hendrix welcomed Ponce but said he was concerned about misusing taxpayer dollars by firing the previous superintendent and then hiring a new superintendent at a much higher salary.
Ponce will be paid $375,000 a year, with possible annual increases.
Ahmed said Ponce’s requested salary also gave her pause, but she decided she didn’t want to lose a candidate who stood out from 30 others.
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.
Board member Betsy Holder said she was particularly impressed by Ponce’s track record as a principal. She dug into the data from Hartman Middle School in Texas and found that during Ponce’s leadership, it rose from being one of the worst-performing schools in the district to one of the best.
Ponce said connecting with every parent, student, teacher and community member was the key to his success.
“There is no magic, and there’s no one pill or one recipe. I think this is community work,” Ponce said.
Ponce will start in July. His contract is for three years.
Original story on Feb. 9, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
Champaign Unit 4 Schools 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.”
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.