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Ann Arbor board suspends superintendent search, authorizes negotiations with interim superintendent Jazz Parks
Summary
The Ann Arbor Public Schools board voted 4–3 to suspend its superintendent search and direct legal counsel to begin contract negotiations with interim superintendent Jazz Parks after public debate over process and a $25 million budget shortfall.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education voted to suspend its external superintendent search and authorized legal counsel to start contract negotiations with interim superintendent Jazz Parks following a divided trustee debate.
Trustee Basquiat moved “to suspend the search and direct our legal counsel to initiate discussions to appoint Miss Parks as our permanent superintendent,” a motion seconded by Trustee Schmidt; the board approved it in a 4–3 roll-call vote. Trustees Dupree, Schmidt, Basquiat and President Feaster voted yes; Trustees Gaynor, Mohammed and Carahara voted no.
The vote came after more than an hour of discussion in which trustees weighed the district’s immediate needs against the usual finalist process. Supporters said Parks’s institutional knowledge and ongoing work on the district’s financial recovery made her the pragmatic choice.
“We are in a situation where we need someone that has institutional memory,” Trustee Schmidt said, arguing that a new leader would have to learn the district’s complexities while the budget crisis deepens.
Opponents pushed for following the planned public process and for additional stakeholder site visits. Trustee Mohammed, while praising Parks’s work, said he could not support bypassing the process and emphasized the importance of community input and transparency.
Interim superintendent Jazz Parks had earlier outlined a schedule of community engagement, FAQs and surveys aimed at informing decisions on the budget and staffing. Parks told trustees the district would publish updated FAQs and launch a survey for students, staff, families and community members to gather priorities and input.
The board’s action directs district attorneys to begin negotiations; it does not by itself finalize a contract. Trustees said Parks will remain interim while negotiations proceed.
Next steps: the board and legal counsel will negotiate contract terms with Parks, and the board will later vote on any final appointment.
