IPS Names New Superintendent
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowOne of the largest school districts in the state has a new leader. Lewis Ferebee has been named superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools. He is currently chief of staff for Durham Public Schools in North Carolina. Our partners at WTHR-TV report IPS Board President Diane Arnold believes Ferebee's skills are “a great fit for the issues” facing the school system. She adds he knows how to “go out and secure additional resources.”
Ferebee takes over from Eugene White, who stepped down earlier this year.
Source: WTHR-TV
July 1, 2013
News Release
Dr. Lewis Ferebee has been selected by the Indianapolis Public Schools Board of School Commissioners to be the next Superintendent of Central Indiana’s largest and most academically diverse school system. Dr. Ferebee will replace Dr. Eugene White who retired in April and Interim Superintendent Dr. Peggy Hinckley.
Ferebee, Chief of Staff for Durham Public Schools, North Carolina, was chosen over two other finalists.
Prior to serving in his current role for three years, the 16-year education veteran served as Regional Superintendent for Guilford County Schools in North Carolina where he also worked as an instructional improvement officer and school principal.
Dr. Ferebee’s extensive experience in attenuating the impact of poverty on academic achievement boasts strategic turnaround for struggling Title I schools, double-digit gains in End of Course Assessments (ECA) for Biology, Algebra and English, and aggressive reductions in the dropout rate with concurrent increases in the graduation rate as compared to state performance.
Dr. Ferebee earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in School Administration from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from North Carolina Central University.
“After an intensive search process, we are excited to have Dr. Ferebee leading our district. We are ready to move forward on behalf of our children with his guidance,” said Board President Diane Arnold.
The Board is required to make public Dr. Ferebee’s contract and hold a public forum on the contract. The Board must also take a public vote to hire Dr. Ferebee.
Dates for the public forum and the vote to hire have not been announced.
Statement from Dr. Lewis Ferebee
“I am honored to learn that the Indianapolis Public Schools Board has selected me as their preferred superintendent candidate. I have relished my discussions with Board members and have come to regard them as talented and well intended individuals who are passionate about ensuring positive outcomes for students and families of the district. I endeavor to do the same. I thank the Commissioners and the community for warmly hosting me this past week. I thoroughly enjoyed my time touring the city and interacting with individuals who are personally committed to raising expectations of what our children can do to awaken in them the determination to excel at whatever they choose to do. Together, I believe we can remarkably enhance the educational opportunities to which our children avail themselves. I greatly anticipate further discussion with the Board in the coming weeks to finalize the terms under which I will serve the Indianapolis Public Schools community as superintendent.
Career Highlights
Dr. Ferebee reduced to zero the number of schools in Durham designated by the state as “low performing.”
He led North Carolina in the number of middle schools making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) among large urban school districts.
Dr. Ferebee implemented a pre-Advanced Placement curriculum accessible to all middle school students.
He increased secondary math performance to a proficiency rate above 95%.
Dr. Ferebee, a successful grant writer, has garnered millions via the prestigious federal Race to the Top Grant among a host of school improvement funding.
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Previous Employment
July 2009-July 2010
Regional Superintendent of Guilford County Schools
Greensboro, NC
January 2007-July 2009
Instructional Improvement Officer
Guilford County Schools
Greensboro, NC
July 2005-January 2007
Principal
Guilford County Schools
Greensboro, NC
July 2001-July 2005
Principal
Guilford County Schools
High Point, NC
July 2000-July 2001
Assistant Principal
Granville County Schools
Creedmoor, NC
Source: Indianapolis Public Schools