Interim Superintendent seeks improvement in academics and purchasing
A true champion of public education in Central Ohio for more than two decades, Dr. John D. Stanford is the Interim Superintendent of Columbus City Schools, managing the operations of Ohio’s largest school district and advancing the academic achievement of its more than 51,500 students.
Dr. Stanford was appointed Interim Superintendent by the Columbus Board of Education, starting in January 2018, having served as Deputy Superintendent for more than five years and more than three years as the District’s Chief Operating Officer.
During that time, Columbus City Schools has increased access to high quality pre-Kindergarten experiences, served more students with Limited English Proficiency and Special Needs than any other district in the region, eliminated the achievement gaps in 26 of our schools, provided a greater return on taxpayer investments by reducing administrative overhead, and implemented digital and physical data review systems to provide constant updates on vital student-related data measurements.
Throughout his service, Dr. Stanford has shared a desire to see the District’s purchasing and contracting of services reflect a more diverse vendor pool.
“Columbus City Schools is a very inclusive and diverse school district grounded in sound Board Policies that encourage and support inclusive business practices,” said Dr. Stanford. “We believe that our inclusive business practices are contributing to the larger inclusive and diverse economic market in the Central Ohio region.”
The District has nearly doubled overall participation in its Local Economically Disadvantaged Enterprise (LEDE) program over the past three years. The District has also steadily increased the percentage of contracted dollars invested with LEDE-participating companies, doubling the percentage over the past four years to nearly 14%.
“There is a commitment from the Board and our leadership team to see even better numbers,” Dr. Stanford added. “Our inclusive business practices start with our Office of Outreach Services led by Terri Wise, a highly trained and skilled team member who has worked for the district for more than a decade to provide equal opportunity and access to the District’s business prospects.”
“Through the leadership of Ms. Wise and Mr. Maurice Oldham, our Chief Operating Officer, I envision Columbus City Schools building on the existing successful programs to achieve a higher level of success.”
Over the past three years, the Business and Operations team has taken a number of steps to encourage greater participation in the LEDE program, including: eliminating the requirement that companies acquire business insurance before submitting a bid; increasing the points on a Request for Proposals (RFP) that are allotted to LEDE participation; and hosting a procurement fair for all certified LEDEs to meet with key decision makers in the District.
Previously, Dr. Stanford served four years as the top education advisor to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, helping to develop and implement the Governor’s annual education budget of almost $11 billion. Dr. Stanford has taught at The Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs; championed the leadership roles of the state’s school board members at the Ohio School Boards Association; and served Columbus City Schools as Supervisor of Legislative Services and Special Assistant to the Superintendent for Board Services and Government Affairs.
For his leadership in education advocacy, Dr. Stanford earned a 2015 Ohio School Boards Association Central Region Exemplary School Employee and the 2009 Ohio University College of Education Samuel I. Hicks Executive-in-Residence awards. He’s an alumnus of Leadership Columbus and serves on the Boards of the Franklin County Children’s Council and Franklin County Family and Children’s First Council. He’s also the founding President of the 100 Black Men of Central Ohio and an inactive member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Dr. Stanford earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Central Michigan University and his Juris Doctor and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from The Ohio State University. He and his wife Robin Lipscomb-Stanford are the proud parents of Nia Stanford. They attend St. Philips Episcopal Church in Columbus.
Published in OhioMBE – Feb. 15, 2018 – pdf
