Superintendent Hite gets a new job but will stay Philly’s chief until the end of the school year, board says

William R. Hite Jr., Philadelphia’s school superintendent for the past decade, has a new job: He’ll be CEO of KnowledgeWorks, an education nonprofit.

Hite will remain as Philadelphia schools chief through the end of the school year, the school board said in a statement Friday. When Hite announced his forthcoming departure in September, he had said he would stay through August, when his current contract expires.

“We are grateful for his continued leadership and service to the school district, and we support his ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and consistent school year for the children and families of Philadelphia,” the board said.

KnowledgeWorks, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit, focuses on personalized learning with an emphasis on diversity and equitable outcomes. Hite assumes his new position on July 1.

“Nothing is more important than ensuring that our nation’s children have a strong education, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in my career to work toward that mission, particularly with the School District of Philadelphia,” Hite said in a news release. “I’m excited to take on a new challenge in this journey and look forward to working with the KnowledgeWorks team to deploy innovative education approaches that position students to thrive in college, career, and civic life.”

Despite the new job, Hite will still be “instrumental in the plan to onboard his successor,” the school board said, helping to smooth the way for the next superintendent.

» READ MORE: Philly Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. says he’s leaving at the end of the school year

Though the board hopes its new superintendent is in place before Hite leaves, the shift in his departure could mean a leadership gap for the district, board vice president Leticia Egea-Hinton said.

“We know that if the incoming superintendent is working in another district, there are commitments they have to honor,” Egea-Hinton said. “We would probably have to put in place an interim for a short period of time until the new superintendent can be here full-time; we would have to have a Plan B.”

The board has said it will provide a public update on the search on Monday, but Egea-Hinton said the search timeline, which calls for the announcement of a new schools chief this spring, is on track.

Isaacson Miller, the search firm the board has hired to assist with the superintendent search, has connected with more than 400 candidates, Egea-Hinton said; they’re now working to whittle down that list. Of the candidates, 21% have experience in the district; 64% are currently working in school administration or work in districts similar to Philadelphia in size or demographics.

The community made clear it values candidates who are experienced educators, people who have leadership experience and experience working with diverse communities, Egea-Hinton said.

Interviews with the top five candidates are expected to take place in February and March; finalists will have public forums in March.