The New DPS Superintendent Speaks Out
The newly appointed interim superintendent of DPS talks about big change.
The so-called transition manager for Detroit Public Schools — former Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes — has appointed Alycia Meriweather as his interim superintendent of the district. Meriweather has a history with the school district, both as a teacher and student, and says yesterday was an emotional and surreal day to accept the position publicly at the same school she went to as an elementary school student.
Meriweather tells Detroit Today Host Stephen Henderson and Bridge Magazine Education Reporter Chastity Pratt Dawsey that she knows the job she’s taking is a big one, and that it involves educating the public as well as kids.
“I think there is such a huge misunderstanding about public education and the dedication and sacrifice of our teachers,” she says. “It hurts my heart sometimes to know there’s so much misinformation out there… [But] we need to make things better… There are some things that need to change.”
Meriweather says beyond solving the debt crisis, the district must get the kids on track to succeed.
