Oakland Unified Superintendent To Lead Washington, DC Schools

OAKLAND (CBS SF) – Oakland Unified School District superintendent Antwan Wilson said Monday that he is leaving the district in February to become the next chancellor for District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C.

Wilson, who was appointed as OUSD's superintendent in April 2014 after serving as assistant superintendent for Denver Public Schools in Colorado, wrote a letter to district staff announcing his departure.

"I am proud to have been a part of the OUSD community and to work alongside such innovative, thoughtful, progressive, passionate and good people," Wilson said. "OUSD students are now better positioned to succeed than in any other year in Oakland's recent history."

He said the OUSD board of education will soon determine the process to identify an interim superintendent and launch the search for a permanent replacement.

Ash Solar, executive director of GO Public Schools Oakland, an advocacy group for the city's public schools, issued a statement following the news of Wilson's departure.

"Our network of parents, educators and community members appreciates Superintendent Antwan Wilson's hard work," Solar said. "Under his leadership, there have been increases in high school graduation rates and college readiness as well as decreases in school suspension rates."

"While we are disappointed by Antwan's departure, we know that he has left a strong foundation for the district to maintain the progress that it is making. We call on our school board to move quickly in finding the right next superintendent," Solar said.