Thomas S. Tucker, Ph.D. Named Sole Finalist for DCSD Superintendent
The Douglas County School District (DCSD) Board of Education has named Thomas S. Tucker, Ph.D. as the sole finalist to lead our 68,000-student district as superintendent on a unanimous vote.
“After a thorough national search, we are pleased to offer this critical position to Dr. Tucker, a career educator who will bring his expertise and knowledge to this role to help DCSD continue to grow academically, while strengthening our climate and culture,” said David Ray, DCSD Board President. “I am certain Dr. Tucker will bring our community together to do what’s best for kids.”
“Dr. Tucker is an inspirational leader. He has an impressive track record of being a lifelong educator who is dedicated to students,” said Ray. “He is a decision maker, a servant leader and a unifier. Dr. Tucker truly champions public education which is in direct alignment to this school board.”
Dr. Tucker is currently the superintendent of Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has 29 years of experience serving in the Kansas and Ohio public school systems. He has held the positions of classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of secondary curriculum and superintendent.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Board of Education and the community for placing their trust and confidence in my abilities to serve as superintendent,” Tucker said. “It’s a distinct honor and privilege to help lead one of America’s finest - and I do mean finest - public school systems.”
The DCSD Board of Education contracted with an executive search firm, which assisted in the development of a leadership profile of desired qualifications. These qualifications were derived from online surveys, community input meetings, and Board priorities. Over 1,100 inquiries were received regarding our superintendent position. These inquiries came from nearly every state in the U.S. Of those who ultimately submitted applications, the search firm screened and narrowed the pool of candidates based on their match to the leadership profile. From there, the Board of Education screened the candidates and selected the finalists.
Focus groups were assembled, made up of DCSD staff, educators, parents, community members and students, all of whom were randomly selected to participate after they expressed an interest to do so. The intent for these focus groups was to interview the finalists as a panel and provide the Board with impressions about the finalists from multiple perspectives. Additionally, a Community Forum was held in which the candidates participated in a moderated discussion. Audience members had the opportunity to submit their feedback via an online survey.
“The Board extends our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Douglas County community for participating in the search for a permanent superintendent,” said Ray. “We simply could not have done this without the support of our community.”
Dr. Tucker has been twice named National Superintendent of the Year (American Association of School Administrators in 2016 and National Alliance of Black School Educators in 2013). Dr. Tucker succeeds Erin Kane who served as the district’s interim superintendent from 2016-2018.
“Interim Superintendent Kane has been invaluable to DCSD over the past two years. She has provided great leadership during this period of transition and we greatly appreciate her service to the district,” said Ray.
“There is a great deal of pride throughout the district. Clearly there is a focus on doing what is best for students,” said Dr. Tucker. “I give the community my promise - you are going to get 110 percent effort out of me each and every day.”
Dr. Tucker is expected to assume the superintendent role on July 1.