Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
The Milwaukee School Board has finally made its decision on the person it wants to head this enormous school enterprise that consists of roughly 80,000 students.
Dr. Darlene Driver has been named the new superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), but she is far from being a stranger to the MPS landscape.
Before assuming her new role as the MPS superintendent, Dr. Driver was serving as the interim leader of the district, following the departure Dr. Gregory Thornton at the end of June.
Dr. Driver initially came to MPS from Philadelphia in 2012 to be the district’s first chief innovation officer. And, in that capacity, she immediately began to make her presence felt throughout the district in various schools.
This, in turn, helped her gain considerable respect among various groups in Milwaukee’s education community: administrators, teachers and the central office.
Dr. Driver appears to be uniquely qualified for her new position as superintendent.
She becomes the first female to head largest school district in the state. And, at 36, she is one of the youngest major metropolitan school district leaders in the country.
From all accounts, Dr. Driver is an educational force to be reckon with. Simply put: she’s an educator who has a definite vision on how to educate urban children and is bent on getting things done.
These are both admirable and necessary attributes, if she is to be successful in her new endeavor.
Dr. Driver readily acknowledges the positive roles that her parents and mentors played in personal development, and asserts that she is the product of an entire village.
This very realization is not only refreshing but entirely accurate. In truth, we (as a community) all have a vested interest in the success of every MPS student. When they succeed, the community as a whole succeeds.
I offer my sincere congratulations to Superintendent Darienne Driver and pledge my earnest support.