Erie board approves contract for Dr. Natalie Gibbs; transition begins April 1, effective July 1

The Erie City School District Board of Directors voted 8-1 on Feb. 25 to approve a contract for Dr. Natalie Gibbs and begin a transition April 1, with Gibbs scheduled to become superintendent on July 1 when current Superintendent Pulido retires June 30.

Board President Dr. J. Brennaman called the special meeting and framed the hiring decision as the result of a yearlong search that included public surveys, stakeholder interviews and multiple rounds of review facilitated by a consulting firm. "We had 20 applicants... we had to set up in-person interviews for those three candidates. Those interviews lasted well over an hour for each person," Brennaman said during the meeting.

The motion to approve "all matters from recommendations under 3 for new business" was moved by board member Miss Cooley and seconded by Mr. Sharif. During roll call the board voted: Devlin — yes; Graff — yes; Harkins — no; Nichols — yes; Sharif — yes; Anna Angelo — yes; Cooley — yes; Dr. Brennaman — yes. The motion carried and the board announced Dr. Gibbs would begin transition duties April 1 and formally assume the superintendent role July 1 following Pulido's retirement on June 30.

Several board members spoke during discussion. Board member John Harkins explained he favored a local candidate, saying he "came to favor and prefer Teresa Zuma Gala as the path to take," and that he would not vote for the motion because of that preference. Other board members said the search was rigorous and that, despite differing initial preferences, they voted to approve the contract to unify the board and support district leadership.

Board member Ms. Devlin, while acknowledging she had not ranked Gibbs first, urged collective work going forward and cautioned against expecting a single person to fix long-standing issues: "Superman is not coming to save us. One person is not going to save this district," she said.

Dr. Natalie Gibbs, joining the meeting remotely from Tennessee, thanked the board and said she was "honored to be EPS next superintendent" and that she looked forward to "partnering with the entire board as well as working alongside each of you in service of students, staff, and families. I'm ready to work."

Board materials and discussion described a multi-stage process: public surveys and focus groups, stakeholder interviews, video and written candidate responses, and multi-hour in-person interviews for finalists. The board said it retained a hiring consulting firm and involved PSBA in facilitation. Officials said childcare and other supports were available at public events conducted as part of the search.

The board described the vote as the culmination of months of deliberation and follow-up. Dr. Brennaman said the board intentionally structured a transition so Gibbs would work with Superintendent Pulido between April 1 and Pulido's retirement June 30 to allow "a warm transfer of leadership."