SCS’s chief of academics resigns
Shelby County Schools Chief of Academics Heidi Ramirez is resigning from the school district, effective March 31.
Natalia Powers, chief of communications, informed board members of Ramirez’s resignation in an email Tuesday morning.
Powers said Ramirez resigned “to make some personal and professional changes to be closer to (her) family and friends.”
Ramirez served as chief for more than two years. The announcement of her resignation comes a month after the district announced a restructuring of the academics department that shifted Ramirez’s role in Superintendent Dorsey Hopson’s cabinet.
In a statement, Hopson said the district will miss Ramirez’s “leadership and expertise.”
“Dr. Ramirez’s vision has helped enhance planning and coordination across all of our academic departments and stakeholders — from teachers and coaches to school and district leaders,” Hopson said. “She has also been instrumental in increasing focus on our strategic plan, Destination 2025, and we appreciate all of her contributions.”
In an email sent to staff members, Ramirez called serving the students in SCS “one of the greatest privileges of my life” and said the decision to leave was difficult.
“But after much prayer and consideration, I’m looking forward to making some personal and professional changes to be closer to loved ones and take on new challenges,” she said.
In January Hopson announced he was promoting Sharon Griffin, then the head of the Innovation Zone turnaround program, to a new cabinet position with the title of chief of schools.
The move restructured the department of academics, with Griffin able to offer direct support to schools, principals and teachers and allowing Ramirez to focus on instructional tools and systems. Griffin also continues to oversee the iZone.
“We are facing more rigorous academic standards and need to make strategic and swift changes in order to boost student achievement at a more rapid rate,” Hopson said in a statement at the time.
Ramirez started working for SCS in November 2014 at the age of 40, earning $165,000. Hopson hired her after a lengthy search following the merging of Memphis City Schools and legacy SCS.
Ramirez, one of eight children raised by a single parent, came to SCS with 16 years of experience in education, from special assistant in the U.S. Department of Education during the Clinton administration to associate dean of the Urban Education Collaborative at Temple University. Her only previous experience working in a school district was as chief academic officer in Milwaukee Public Schools, where she served for two years and left in 2012.
She earned a Ph.D. at Stanford University and master’s degrees from Stanford and Harvard University.