FCPS School Board chooses new superintendent

The Fairfax County School Board has selected Michelle Reid, Ed.D., as the next superintendent of FCPS.
Reid, the current superintendent of Northshore School District in Washington State has been there since 2016.

Prior to that, Reid was the superintendent of South Kitsap School District in Port Orchard, Washington, and she also served as deputy superintendent, an athletic director, and a school principal.

In 2021, Reid was named as the AASA National Superintendent of the Year.

In regard to education, Reid received a bachelor’s degree in natural science and chemistry at University of Puget Sound, and a master’s degree in educational administration as well as a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Washington.

The FCPS School board began their superintendent search in January as they held town halls, stakeholder meetings, and conducted surveys to receive insight from the community.

In March, background checks were conducted as well as interviews with candidates.

Finalists were vetted and interviewed by members of the Superintendent Firm, and finally, the search was conducted after the board voted 9-3 to appoint Reid as the new superintendent.

She will be the successor to current Superintendent Scott Brabrand after his contract ends on June 30.

Reid has received some pushback from the community as many feel she isn’t qualified to be the superintendent for FCPS which is the 11th largest school district in the U.S., 180,000 students, and 25,000 full-time employees. This is a huge contrast to Northshore School Districts 22,000 student population.

Students from high schools across the county as well as the NAACP have protested against Reid’s appointment as the new superintendent.

Another concern is that there are many large racial disparities between Fairfax County and Northshore School District.

According to a statistic from the Washington Post, Northshore District has less then a two percent black student population whereas FCPS has a 10 percent black student population.

Regardless, Reid is expected to begin her four-year term sometime in June.

Look for more coverage in the next edition of The A-Blast.