D.C. Public Schools is losing its chief of data and accountability to the Big Easy.
Cate Swinburn told The Washington Examiner on Friday that she is stepping down at the end of October because her husband has taken a job in New Orleans as the executive director of New Schools for the Louisiana Recovery School District.
“Sad to leave DCPS & my team,” she wrote over Twitter.
In a June 15 email, Swinburn told her staff that it would be “business as usual” for the Office of Data and Accountability in the coming months. “You will continue to report with your manager, your teams will continue to meet, and you will support the DCPS reforms like you always do,” she said.
“Go team!” she concluded her email.
Chancellor Kaya Henderson appointed Swinburn to the chief position in DCPS’ data and accountability office in September. As the director, she plays a key role in aspects of the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment exams, including investigations into possible cheating on them.
Who will step into these big shoes flooded by the national spotlight? The job posting describes “an innovative and visionary leader who is also an effective executor” and outlines the role the director plays in testing integrity, among other hats.
Before filling the data post, Swinburn headed the D.C. Public Education Fund, which sought private donors for the school system.
While Swinburn has yet to decide on her new gig in New Orleans, she says she’s “[h]aving fun conversations with some very smart and dedicated people.”
