If confirmed by the D.C. council, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s nominee for D.C. Public Schools chancellor will arrive in office after a turbulent period in the traditional, city-run public school system. The system has been plagued recently by controversy surrounding inflated high school graduation rates and preferential access for officials to bypass school waitlists.

Unsurprising, then, that nominee Lewis Ferebee set a cautious tone, declaring, “We’re obviously not at the point where we are ready to run a victory lap, but we do have a steady foundation that we can build upon.”