UPDATE: On Thursday, May 29, Dr. Yearwood’s four year contract was approved by the JCPS board, making him the district’s first Black superintendent. He will earn $350,000 per year.
This Friday, May 23, The Courier Journal reported that JCPS named Dr. Harold Brian Yearwood as their new superintendent. The search for a new superintendent officially began on Feb. 1. On Tuesday, May 20, JCPS held two forums open to the public, allowing community members to question the two finalists in the search, Yearwood and Ben Shuldiner.
Board members voted to allow contact negotiations with one of the finalists on May 22, but did not disclose a name. According to the Courier Journal, a source who wished to remain anonymous revealed that Yearwood had been selected.
The previous superintendent, Dr. Marty Pollio, announced his retirement on Sept. 27, 2024, after leading the district for eight years. His last day is June 30, and Yearwood will begin the following day, July 1. Pollio received mixed feedback throughout his term.
“My biggest regret is how the first days of school went in August of ‘23,” Pollio said in an interview with Manual RedEye in October 2024 regarding school closures due to busing complications.
Yearwood immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States at the age of 17. He has 34 years of experience working as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent combined.
Yearwood was superintendent of Columbia Public Schools in Missouri, increasing its overall performance substantially. At the end of last school year, he abruptly left the superintendent job, taking a $667,000 buy out with a non-disclosure agreement which prevented him from speaking about the reasons for his departure. This was a major concern for many in the community.
According to a survey by the Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA), Shuldiner was the preferred candidate with 461 votes, while Yearwood had only 65. Additionally, Shuldiner was shown drastically to be the more popular candidate in a parent survey recorded after the forums.
Yearwood has expressed that his top priorities for improving JCPS would be to focus on academics, boosting test scores and standards.
“We have to make our state average our floor, not our ceiling,” Yearwood said at the first forum.
Yearwood has emphasized the importance of safety in schools for both students and staff. He supports using trauma-informed practices to discipline children and believes that school police officers should build friendly, positive relationships with students.
“One time I saw a police [officer], he was in full uniform, at a football game, coaching the team,” Yearwood said at the second forum. He continued that police officers “should be there to build rapport.”
The selection of Yearwood as superintendent has not yet been confirmed by JCPS. Information from the school board will be provided at a later date.
UPDATE: At 7:20 p.m on Friday, May 23, JCPS officially announced Dr. Yearwood to be the next superintendent. JCPS claimed to have come out with this statement due to “speculation on social media.” The announcement given was from Dr. Corrie Shull, Chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE).
“Through the interview process, Dr. Yearwood impressed us with his obvious commitment to student,” Shull said.
