On Wednesday, February 19th, the KPS school board offered Rita Raichoudhuri the superintendent position. Raichoudhuri is a former Chicago Public Schools administrator with almost 20 years of education experience. Raichoudhuri worked as the Executive Director of Early College and Career at Chicago Public Schools beginning in 2017. Before this, she worked as a principal in the district for four years. She has a doctorate degree in urban education leadership from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree in education, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science.  

The KPS Board of Education had been searching for a new superintendent since Dr. Michael Rice, the former KPS superintendent, was appointed by the Michigan State Board of Education to be the state superintendent in May of 2019.  Gary Start was hired to be interim superintendent while the board continued the search. 

Raichoudhuri said that as superintendent she would continually learn the best practices in education and look for new, innovative ways to better educate students.  

Board president Patti Sholler-Barber said in an interview with WWMT, “The board feels very strongly that the community and the staff and the whole collective body and the family of Kalamazoo Public Schools helped us tremendously. We couldn’t have done it without their input and without their support.”