Eduardo Galvan is on track to become the interim superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools for the next year, after temporarily filling in on superintendent duties since former Superintendent Keith Posley announced his resignation in early June.
School board members are scheduled to appoint Galvan, previously a regional superintendent for MPS, to the interim superintendent position on Thursday. They interviewed Galvan and two other candidates in a private meeting Monday and then extended an offer to Galvan, board members said.
Galvan has accepted the offer, a spokesperson for MPS said Friday, which board members plan to approve Thursday.
If his appointment is finalized, Galvan will serve as the district's interim superintendent while the board conducts a national search for a more permanent superintendent — a process that could take the full school year.
It will be a critical year for the district, which is being monitored by state officials as it implements a corrective action plan to address severe problems in its finance office. It's also facing two audits ordered by the governor that could uncover issues elsewhere in the district.
Who is Eduardo Galvan, acting superintendent of MPS?
Immediately after Posley's resignation, the school board put Galvan in charge of day-to-day operations. He had been the district's regional superintendent for the southwest region since 2018.
Galvan, who attended Brookfield East High School and has a master's degree from National Louis University, has spent his entire career at MPS, about 32 years. He has been a bilingual teacher, assistant principal and principal. He has also been a soccer coach, and served as a building representative with the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, the union for MPS staff.
In a previous interview, Galvan said he knew he wanted to stay with MPS after he started his first job at the former 27th Street School: "My first job was at a bilingual school, and I've always had a deep understanding of those needs; my parents are immigrants, so that's always been something very near and dear to my heart. Once I was an employee, there was never a real thought to going anywhere else."
Reflecting on the weeks since state officials raised alarms about MPS' financial reports, Galvan said the first thing he felt was fear.
"I think immediately, it's a feeling of fear, in terms of — will we get lost in things that are kind of removed from what our main goal is in serving our great students?" Galvan said. "We have an opportunity to move forward and do great things, which is what our students need and deserve, and we'll continue to do that. We are making progress."
In the acting superintendent position, Galvan said he has focused on the district's corrective action plan and overseeing regular operations like summer programs and staff training. Asked whether Posley gave him any advice for the job, Galvan said there was "no moment like that."
Posley resigned after criticism that he hadn't shared more details with the board or the public about the finance office's dire situation. Galvan, asked whether he was disappointed in how Posley handled anything, said it was hard to say without having been involved in the conversations Posley was in. Galvan said he was working to open lines of communication.
"I can't speak to the prior experience of the board, but we will be better at that," Galvan said. "Some of the conversations that we've already had, we understand that we need to be more open and communicative with each other when there are challenges, when there are successes, and then move forward."
Galvan said he wasn't sure whether he would apply for the permanent superintendent position but he said he plans to spend the rest of his career with the district.
"I've had opportunities to go elsewhere, and I've not taken them," he said. "I honestly believe we have a wonderful, wonderful district — not saying that there are not challenges, but every district has those. I do believe that our community, Milwaukee Public Schools and the students that we serve, have a need for people that want to be here, have a need for people that care deeply about their future and the future of our city. And I've always felt that way at every point in my career."
How will MPS choose a more permanent superintendent?
School board members have said they intend to launch a national search for a more long-term superintendent. They will likely hire a search firm this summer, board member Megan O'Halloran previously said. She also said the process will offer opportunities for the public to provide input.
The Madison Metropolitan School District hired Chicago-based Alma Advisory Group for its superintendent search, which concluded in February when the school board chose St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard.
In Madison, Alma Advisory Group conducted surveys and held input sessions last fall with community members to develop the "leadership profile" of an ideal Madison superintendent, the Cap Times reported. The district posted the job opening in November and received nearly 60 applicants by January.
The school board in Madison conducted a first round of interviews behind closed doors, according to the Cap Times. It created community panels to interview finalists, and the district livestreamed those interviews.
In Milwaukee, Mayor Cavalier Johnson has already said he'd like to be part of those interviews, and O'Halloran said she would welcome his involvement.
"I want it to be a community-driven process," O'Halloran said. "We have stakeholders from parents to community organizers, to students and staff. The next superintendent will impact the whole community so I would like to have representatives driving this process."
Given the lengthy search process, and the possibility that candidates may be leaving jobs that run until June 30, O'Halloran said it's possible the new superintendent wouldn't start the job at MPS until July 1, 2025.
Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @RoryLinnane.
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