Help Pick Upper Manhattan's School Superintendent At Tuesday Event

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Dozens of public schools across Washington Heights and Inwood may get a new superintendent this year — and neighborhood families will get the chance to help pick the new leader in a Tuesday town hall.

All 45 superintendents across the city were asked to reapply for their jobs this spring by new Schools Chancellor David Banks — a house-cleaning move that sparked controversy in recent weeks when some popular superintendents failed to advance to the next round.

In a backtracking move, the city is now allowing all current superintendents to stay in the running, alongside a handful of new candidates in each district. Now, each district will host a town hall, giving families to meet and ask questions of each finalist.

That includes District 6, which covers 39 schools in Inwood, Washington Heights and Hamilton Heights. Current superintendent Manuel Ramirez has led the district since 2014; the Department of Education has not publicly announced the names of any other finalists.

District 6's superintendent town hall will be held virtually at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, with registration available online. (Click here for Spanish.)

Each meeting will feature personal introductions from the candidates, written questions from the district's Community Education Council, and a chance for parents to ask additional questions and share feedback.

The citywide superintendent re-hiring comes as Banks plans to expand the role for the next academic year, with bigger budgets, more staff and added responsibilities.

Each finalist has already gone through a vetting process including interviews with principals and senior DOE leaders.

"Our children deserve leaders who are grounded in their communities and have a vision for how to improve schools, and I am proud that the group of candidates we are putting in front of parents represents those qualities," Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership Desmond K. Blackburn said in a statement.