Mpls. schools start search for new chief as Johnson exits

The Minneapolis School Board is expected to launch a nationwide search to replace Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson, but some say the best choice may be in-house.

Johnson hasn't talked publicly about her abrupt resignation. She announced on Tuesday she'll leave the district's top job at the end of January.

In a statement she said personal reasons played a role. She said she's caring for an aging grandparent and that's making it difficult to fully commit to the challenges she faces as superintendent. Those include a stubborn achievement gap between white students and students of color, as well as stagnant test scores.

Board leaders maintain leaving was Johnson's choice, and that members did not ask for her resignation.

District chief executive Michael Goar will step in as interim superintendent. He says he's disappointed to see Johnson go, but that new leadership might also bring new opportunities to "re-energize our commitment to public education."

Goar says candidate interviews may not begin until next fall, with an eye toward having a new superintendent in place by 2016. He won't say yet if he'll be a candidate.

As interim superintendent, Goar's main job will be to move ahead with an ambitious plan to close the achievement gap in Minneapolis by 2020. The plan focuses on boosting student test scores, improving attendance and giving some schools the freedom to try new and innovative approaches.

Before joining the Minneapolis system, Goar was executive director of Generation Next, an organization working with the St. Paul and Minneapolis school districts to narrow the achievement gap. Former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak now heads that organization. He thinks Goar would be a good fit in the school district's top slot.

Born in South Korea, Goar moved to Minneapolis at age 10 and graduated from Washburn High School. He worked in the Minneapolis school district, then took administrative jobs in the Memphis and Boston districts, before coming back to Minnesota to head up Generation Next.

Goar, 50, already has a good working relationship with union members, said Lynn Nordgren, the president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

"He was just with about 100 teachers last week, listening to them and the issues that we have in our schools," Nordgren said. "He's a great listener and a great thinker and we look forward to great things."

The board will decide in coming weeks on how to proceed. Members say they want to involve the community in the decision as well.