Courtesy of OSU
Ohio State Executive Vice President, chief academic officer and Provost Joseph Alutto is a candidate for the role of interim Columbus City Schools superintendent.
The superintendent is responsible for more than 50,000 students in 118 schools, as well as more than 7,700 employees. Columbus City Schools is the largest district in Ohio, according to its website.
Superintendent Gene Harris will retire July 1. She has been the superintendent since 2001.
Alutto announced in November that he would be leaving his role at OSU June 30. He is to be replaced by Joseph Steinmetz, the executive dean and vice provost of the College of Arts and Sciences, whose role will in turn be filled by David Manderscheid of the University of Nebraska.
The school board is scheduled to have a special meeting Tuesday to discuss Alutto’s potential hire, but will not yet vote. Alutto plans on attending the meeting to answer board members’ questions, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
“I believe in the power of education to change lives. I grew up in public school systems, from kindergarten through graduate school, my children attended public schools, as are my grandchildren,” Alutto said in a statement sent to The Lantern in an email from OSU spokeswoman Gayle Saunders. “As the Columbus Board of Education continues its process, I am interested in the opportunity to be considered to serve the community.”
The school district is currently under investigation by the state and federal governments for altering student performance numbers.
Board President Carol Perkins told the Dispatch she hopes Alutto will commit to the job for at least a year if he is approved.
Perkins said in an email Friday night she did not know what Alutto’s salary would be because he has not been approved by the board yet.
