Washington Township school board names next superintendent

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This article was originally published by WFYI.

The Board of Education of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township unanimously approved Sean Taylor as the superintendent of schools beginning July 1, 2025. Taylor currently serves as the associate superintendent for Washington Township Schools.

Earlier this year, the district’s longtime superintendent Nikki Woodson announced she would retire at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. In her 13 years as superintendent, Woodson oversaw multiple construction projects, including a new middle school and athletic upgrades.

Taylor will be paid a base salary of $220,000 with the opportunity for board approved raises every year. He will also receive an additional car and cell phone allowance of $1,250 per month. Woodson’s 2023 salary was $225,348 and her total compensation was $390,457, according to state data.

Taylor has been with the district for the past 16 years. He was hired as associate superintendent in 2020 after serving as principal of middle and elementary schools in the district.

“I am so excited to continue the team based approach that we’ve had in Washington Township,” Taylor said at the Wednesday night board meeting. “The job is way too big to do individually, and the stakes are too high, and our kids matter too much. And so that team based approach will sustain into this transition.”

Board member Tracey Horth Krueger said during the meeting that Taylor’s vision for the future of the district was the “most exciting thing that we had heard.”

“We were very pleased, and all of a sudden, there was no concern anymore. We feel like we have been in good hands. We feel like we will continue to be in good hands,” Krueger said.

Taylor earned a doctorate in executive educational leadership from Indiana University.

Washington Township Schools has an enrollment of around 10,500 students, and more than half qualify for free or reduced lunch. About 40 percent of students are Black, and 22 percent are Hispanic. In recent years, the district has struggled with racial disparities in test scores. Last school year, 97 percent of white students in the district passed the IREAD exam compared to 81.5 percent of Black students.

These disparities raised concerns about the district’s ability to teach Black and Brown students. In response, charter school network Paramount Schools of Excellence earlier this year opened a K-8 all-girls school in the district, Girls IN STEM Academy. Many district officials and community members pushed back on the need for another school in the district.

The district is holding a reception for Taylor on Nov. 4. The district’s last day of classes for this school year is May 23.

Contact WFYI Marion County education reporter Sydney Dauphinais at sdauphinais@wfyi.org .