NEWS RELEASE

PRESS ADVISORYFor immediate release June 11, 2015School Board taps Tunis as Interim SuperintendentKANSAS CITY, MO. The Board of Directors of Kansas City Public Schools has chosen Chief Financial Officer Allan Tunis to serve as Interim Superintendent.The Board voted to approve Mr. Tunis temporary appointment while in executive session during its meeting Wednesday night, June 10 at Central Academy of Excellence. Tunis will serve as the KCPS chief executive while the Board conducts its nationwide search for a permanent replacement. Current Superintendent R. Stephen Green, Ed.D., announced in May 2015 that he is departing KCPS to take the Superintendents post at DeKalb County School District in Georgia.The Board picked Mr. Tunis as Interim Superintendent with the expectation that he will continue the programs, policies and approach established by Dr. Green, according to Board Chair Jon Hile. KCPS will maintain a laser-like focus on increasing individual student achievement in every KCPS school through academic best practices, top-flight employees, sound management, effective partnerships and public engagement.Having Mr. Tunis at the helm of KCPS will allow us to continue on our path to full state accreditation and beyond while we search for our new, permanent leader, Mr. Hile said. We are confident that Mr. Tunis and the entire KCPS leadership team will ensure that great teaching and learning happens uninterrupted in our classrooms during this transition.In addition to selecting Mr. Tunis as Interim Superintendent, the Board also approved an anticipated timeline for the leadership transition process. The timeline forecasts that the Board will select a permanent superintendent in the late spring of 2016. The Board also chose the consulting firm Ray and Associates to guide the search for candidates.Mr. Tunis has been an integral member of the leadership team that helped lead KCPS from the brink of a state takeover to earning provisional state accreditation for the first time in its history. He joined KCPS as CFO in 2011 and has more than four decades of experience in public education and administration. Mr. Tunis started his career in 1973 teaching science and coordinating the science program for Rochester Community Schools in Rochester, Mich. He has been in the Kansas City region since 1978, when he took a principals position with Park Hill School District. Mr. Tunis has also served for 10 years as an administrator for Metropolitan Community College.Under Mr. Tunis guidance, KCPS has produced balanced budgets for four years in a row. His staff has also garnered clean financial reviews by independent auditors for three years in a row, a significant improvement from earlier years. In February, Standard & Poors Rating Service recognized this excellent fiscal and budgetary management by increasing KCPS credit rating from A to A+ Stable.Mr. Tunis is widely respected by leaders in the educational, public and business sectors across the region, including Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City Executive Director Gayden Carruth. She expressed strong support for his appointment.Al supports the mission of KCPS and believes in making things better for all children, Dr. Carruth said. The staff and community should feel comfortable knowing they have a leader who is loyal and capable and will continue the great work Dr. Green started.Kansas City Mayor Sly James praised Mr. Tunis selection. The city and KCPS have developed a very productive partnership as both seek to cultivate healthy, thriving communities. That positive relationship will continue."I'm pleased Al Tunis has been named interim superintendent, James said. He will carry on the great momentum put in place by Dr. Green. I look forward to working with him to increase quality seats in KCPS"Rev. Eric D. Williams of Calvary Temple Baptist Church and Calvary Community Outreach Network offered similar sentiments about Mr. Tunis.The momentum that KCPS has experienced has been shaped by the cooperative spirit of the board, administration and the community at large, Rev. Williams said. Al Tunis has been an integral part of that success. His knowledge of district operations, finances and personnel is of significant value. His selection as interim superintendent seems to be a choice for stability.KCPS parent and 2014-2015 District Advisory Committee Vice Chair Jennifer Wolfsie also voiced approval on behalf of the DAC of the Boards decision."As parent leaders, we've had the opportunity to work with Mr. Tunis and feel he clearly understands the district's past history and future vision and is capable of executing the plan Dr. Green has been successfully executing over the last four years, Wolfsie said. Dr Green built a solid team and created a set of systems and processes to allow KCPS to no longer be superintendent dependent. We look forward to working closely with Mr. Tunis to continue to improve academic achievement for the students of KCPS."For more details about the Board-approved search timeline and Mr. Tunis appointment as Interim Superintendent, please visit www.kcpublicschools.org/Transition or email board@kcpublicschools.org.The Kansas City Public Schools is dedicated to graduating students that are college, career, and workforce ready. This mission is supported by innovative classroom instruction, engaging programs, highly qualified employees, and an engaged and well-informed community. To learn more about the ways our community of schools supports students and the community-at-large, please visit www.kcpublicschools.org Kansas City Public Schools on Facebook, or KCMOSchools on Twitter.For more information, please contact Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator Ray Weikal at (816) 418-7414, or Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer Eileen Houston-Stewart, at (816) 418-7406.##

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