IPS Superintendent Withdraws As Finalist For L.A. School Job

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis Ferebee is withdrawing his name from consideration as a finalist to lead the Los Angeles school district. WXIN reports Ferebee released this statement on Wednesday:

“Recently, I was announced as one of the finalists for the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent position. After further discussing this endeavor with my family, the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners, and those handling the search process, I have withdrawn my name from consideration. It was an honor to have been considered for an opportunity of this magnitude.”

The hunt for a new superintendent comes as the current Los Angeles schools superintendent will retire from her position at the end of June as she undergoes cancer treatment.

Original Patch report

Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee may have a chance to head out West as the Los Angeles Times reports IPS Board President Michael O'Connor says Ferebee is a finalist for the same position at the Los Angeles school district. The Los Angeles Times reports former investment banker Austin Beutner is the frontrunner for the job, as other finalists include Ferebee, interim Los Angeles Superintendent Vivian Ekchian and former Baltimore Superintendent Andres Alonso.

According to the Los Angeles Times, O'Connor said that Ferebee's selection as a finalist for such a large district (the nation's second-largest) is “a sign that both he and the school system are doing things that people are paying attention to and in many places want to emulate.”

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Ferebee has been with IPS for nearly five years, which O'Connor told the news source is longer than usual for an urban superintendent.

Ferebee has been recognized for several things including his overhauling of Indianapolis Public Schools, converting low-performing schools into “innovation schools” run by outside charter operators but still under the district’s umbrella, and implementing the "portfolio model," where schools should be given the freedom to run how they see fit, but remain accountable.

Patch will continuing updating this story.

More: Los Angeles Times

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