Ousted JCPS superintendent Dr. Sheldon Berman was named the next superintendent for Lane County in Eugene, Oregon by a unanimous vote by the school board Wednesday night. The job comes only after three months since the JCPS school board voted 5-2 not to renew Dr. Berman’s contract, which was set to expire in June of 2011. Berman sought out the job while fulfilling the remainder of his JCPS contract and beat out 2 other finalists in the final stages of the selection process.
“Dr. Berman is a visionary educational leader and has engaged both staff and community members in moving schools forward through difficult conditions,” Eugene school board chairman Craig Smith said in a prepared statement. “We believe he is an excellent fit for Eugene.”
The district has about 16,500 students and a budget of $140 million, while Jefferson County has about 100,000 students and a $1 billion dollar budget.
Dr. Berman’s decision to pursue a new job was met with resentment. “I feel like as if he didn’t do nearly as great of job as he had promised us from the beginning. Anyone that can’t do a good job for the students and teachers and decides to cop-out by leaving can go,” Timothy Nwachukwu (11) said.