Recently, the South Bend Community School Corporation school board put former school superintendent, Todd Cummings on paid leave, and voted to enstate Mansour Eid as temporary school superintendent. According to the South Bend Tribune, the school board held an emergency meeting on Feb.  14 to vote on placing Cummings on leave. The rationale behind this decision was because of Cumming’s decision not to cancel school on Feb. 6. The school board later held a meeting on the 19th, after they had reached an agreement with Cummings in which he agreed to place himself on paid administrative leave before resigning on June 30. During the Feb. 19 meeting, the school board voted in Mansour Eid as temporary superintendent, stating that they will continue a search for the permanent position. 

So, who is Mansour Eid? According to SBCSC’s official website, Eid has served in several positions within the SBCSC community, including, Principal of South Bend Virtual School, Director of High Schools and Career Technical Education and Principal of Clay High School. SBCSC’s website also states that, “Throughout his [Eid’s] career, he has championed innovative learning models, strengthened curriculum offerings, and fostered a culture of excellence and equity. As Acting Superintendent, he remains committed to student success, community engagement, and expanding educational opportunities for all South Bend students.” In his letter to SBCSC staff and families, Eid communicated his dedication to child reading proficiency, increasing graduation rates and reversing SBCSC’s retention and enrollment trends in order to prevent closing another school. 

I had the opportunity to interview Eid and ask him about his plans and expectations for his time as temporary school superintendent. In terms of his prior experience working for SBCSC, Eid states, “I have worked every position at SBCSC starting in 1989. This has given me an understanding of what it takes to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of each position.” Speaking on his outlook and goals for the rest of the school year, Eid comments, “Being an ‘interim or temporary, I was tasked with absorbing the chaos, stabilizing the ship, and moving forward.” Lastly, Eid states his views on the challenges of stepping into this temporary role saying, “I see challenges as opportunities to get beyond them, whether through or around, and yet learn from the experiences along the way. It is not only important to learn from your mistakes, but also from the mistakes of others. George Santayana said, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ South Bend schools cannot afford this.” 

Though the school board has resolved the issue of finding a temporary superintendent, there are still many questions and considerations they must address. It is still unknown whether they will hire within the district or find a recruitment service that will find a superintendent elsewhere. There is also a possibility that they could decide to keep Eid as a permanent superintendent. With all of these questions being raised, several parents and staff involved in SBCSC have weighed in on the opinion, yet we will all have to patiently watch how the rest of the issue unfolds.