From the Washington Post, “The school superintendent in Durham, a chief of schools in Chicago and the interim superintendent in Prince George’s County have been selected as finalists in the competition to lead the Washington region’s third-largest school system, Prince George’s County school officials said Tuesday night. The candidates were chosen from a field of 10 candidates after a national search. They were interviewed by the board last weekend.
Candidates are: Eric J. Becoats, Harrison A. Peters, and Interim Superintendent Alvin Crawley
“We set out an ambitious timeline for our superintendent search and we are happy we attracted these qualified candidates,” School Board Chairman Verjeana M. Jacobs said in a statement. “During the next few weeks, the public will have an opportunity to interact with the three candidates and provide their input to the Board as we select the next leader who will further the mission of our school district,” Jacobs said.
The chosen candidate will replace former school superintendent William R. Hite Jr., who left the school system last summer to become the schools chief in Philadelphia. Hite’s departure caused upheaval and raised questions for many residents about a lack of stability in the system. In the past several weeks, the director of transportation and director of procurement also have resigned.
Candidates are: Eric J. Becoats: Becoats has served as superintendent of Durham schools since 2010. Becoats has some roots in Maryland, having worked as chief of planning for Baltimore City schools. He has spent the rest of his career in North Carolina, including working as chief administrative officer for Guilford County Schools in Greensboro and assistant superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte.
Harrison A. Peters: Harrison received his masters and doctoral degrees from Nova University and has no teaching experience. Peters has worked as a chief of schools in Chicago, responsible for 37 public schools since 2011.
Alvin A. Crawley: Currently serving as interim Superintendent.
Eric J. Becoats
Alvin Crawley
Harrison A. Peters
