Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams, Dr. Sonia Stewart named finalists for next Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Public Schools is one step closer to getting a new superintendent.
The Superintendent Search Task Force announced the two finalists for the position Tuesday: Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams and Dr. Sonia Stewart.
Sayles-Adams is superintendent of Eastern Carver County Schools, and Stewart is currently a deputy superintendent in Tennessee.
There are two meet-and-greets scheduled next week for parents to get to know each candidate:
- Stewart: Monday, Nov. 27 from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Folwell Elementary (3611 20th Ave. S); 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Davis Center (1250 W. Broadway Ave.)
- Sayles-Adams: Wednesday, Nov. 29 from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Folwell Elementary; 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Davis Center
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School board interviews for each candidate will also be held on the same days of their respective meet-and-greets at Davis Center, and will be live-streamed here in multiple languages.
A special school board meeting to make the final selection will be held Dec. 1 at 4 p.m., and will also be live-streamed.
Rochelle Cox is the current interim superintendent, who took the role after Superintendent Ed Graff resigned last year after leading the district for six years.
Graff's tenure coincided with the first teachers' strike in the district in 50 years, in addition to the COVID pandemic and George Floyd's murder and subsequent uprising.
Cox and district leaders have been criticized for their handling of the major cyber attack earlier this year that infected the district's tech system, and comprised the data of students, parents and staff.