Five months after resigning from Montgomery County Public Schools, former Superintendent Monifa McKnight has landed a new job as the inaugural dean’s fellow and superintendent in residence at the University of Maryland College of Education, the university has announced.
“In this new role, McKnight will support the development and implementation of special projects aligned with the College of Education’s strategic plan. She will focus on growing student engagement across academic programs and building partnerships…to support student learning and school transformation,” the university said Monday in a news release.
McKnight is expected to start her new job on Aug. 23.
“We are delighted to have Dr. McKnight join our college,” Dean Kimberly Griffin said in the release. “She is a seasoned educator and leader whose extensive experience and commitment to education equity will prove valuable as we move fearlessly forward to transform education for good.”
The university touted McKnight’s more than 25 years of experience in school administration and instructional leadership, noting that as MCPS superintendent, she oversaw the state’s largest school district with an enrollment of more than 160,000 students. “She led the complex transition to hybrid and full-time in-person learning and implemented operational structures and instructional strategies designed to meet students’ needs post-pandemic,” the release said.
McKnight’s tenure with MCPS ended when she resigned Feb. 2 in the aftermath of a controversy involving the district’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against a former middle school principal. The fallout from the controversy led to a deterioration of community trust in the district and the school board, which had promoted Joel Beidleman to lead a high school while he was being investigated over the allegations. Beidleman, who no longer works for the school system, has denied the allegations.
In March, MCPS released the terms of McKnight’s separation agreement with the school board following Freedom of Information Act requests by MoCo360 and other local media. According to MCPS, McKnight was to receive a total of $1.3 million from the district.
After a five-month search, the school board hired Thomas Taylor, a 1996 graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, as the new MCPS superintendent in late June. Taylor, who started his new job July 1, is the former superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools in Virginia.
McKnight, who received a doctorate in educational policy and leadership from the University of Maryland, said in the release that she was “deeply honored to return to my alma mater.”
“This unique opportunity allows me to contribute to the development of future educational leaders and to collaborate with esteemed colleagues in shaping innovative educational practices,” she said. “I look forward to bringing my experiences and insights to the university and working together to make a lasting impact on education.”