Former Oakland USD superintendent forced out as chancellor of D.C. schools

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Antwan Wilson, the former Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District has been forced to resign from his job as Washington D.C. School Chancellor.

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Wilson was recruited to run Oakland schools from his position as assistant superintendent of the Denver school system in 2014. He signed a 4-year contract with Oakland but quit in December 2016. He left to take a more lucrative position as Chancellor of the D.C. school system, a position he assumed in February 2017.

Today, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser held a news conference to announce Wilson was forced to resign after in internal investigation of allegations he violated school district policy.

"I have accepted the resignation of Antwan Wilson as the Chancellor of D.C. public schools," Mayor Bowser said.

According to a member of the Washington D.C. School Board, Antwan Wilson was fired for using his clout as Chancellor to get his daughter transferred to a school for high achieving students without going through proper channels.

Mayor Bowser said, "It became very clear to me over the last couple of days that Chancellor Wilson would be unable to successfully run the public schools having been unable to regain the community's trust."

As Wilson's boss, Mayor Bowser explained during a news conference why she was disappointed and felt his actions required the decision to replace him.

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She says he is disappointed but she had no other choice.

"A leader has to have the trust of the people he manages and the people he leads."

According to the Washington Post, Wilson left a deficit of $30 million behind in Oakland when he departed.

A spokesperson for the Oakland Unified School District issued a written statement today when asked about the news of Antwan Wilson's departure from D.C.

"While it is true that Antwan Wilson worked for OUSD, he left our District over a year ago to lead DC Public Schools. Our focus in OUSD continues to be building our full service community district where our students are prepared for college, career and community success. We will be making no further comment about the situation in DC."

Wilson had a difficult tenure in Oakland and left behind some uneasy relationships with other school officials.

He is still highly regarded as an educator and administrator but this abrupt departure from his position as Chancellor of Washington, D.C. Schools may give his critics reason to cast doubt on his ability to turn troubled programs around. Mayor Bowser was complimentary today while announcing her decision to replace him.

"Chancellor Wilson is an extraordinary educator. He has built a career on helping students and transforming schools. And he is a human being that made a mistake," she said.

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