IPS Announces Interim Superintendent
Aleesia Johnson
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAleesia Johnson has been appointed Indianapolis Public Schools’ interim superintendent. She currently serves as deputy superintendent for academics. Current Superintendent Dr. Lewis Ferebee’s last day will be January 4, after which Johnson will fill the position. Ferebee has been named chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools.
Johnson, an educator for more than 16 years, has worked in a number of roles throughout Indianapolis, including most recently as innovation officer and deputy superintendent for academics for IPS. As deputy superintendent, she sets the vision and oversees the implementation of academic strategies that lead to increased student academic outcomes and post-secondary success based on the district’s 3Es (preparing students for enrollment in a two- or four-year college or university, enlistment in the military or employment at a livable wage upon graduation). During her tenure in the district, Johnson has successfully led efforts to expand school-based autonomy across the district, develop the Innovation Network Schools model, and launch the Post-Secondary Readiness team to further support the district’s 3E goals.
A native of Evansville, Johnson comes from a long line of educators, including her grandfather, Anthony Brooks, one of the few African-American administrators in the Evansville area in the 1970s and 1980s. She is the first African-American female to serve as superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools.
The district will begin its search for a permanent superintendent sometime in the new year.