Dr. Pamela Baldwin is officially the new superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

Picking a new superintendent has been a task the CHCCS Board of Education has worked on since August, when Tom Forcella retired. The board named Dr. Jim Causby interim superintendent, while members searched to fill the role permanently by January.

The board finalized its selection Wednesday night after the North Carolina School Boards Association had received 44 applications from 17 states for the position.

The CHCCS Board of Education selects Dr. Pamela Baldwin as the new superintendent. Photo via Steph Beckett.

Baldwin comes to CHCCS from Asheville City Schools, where she has been superintendent since 2014. Board chairman James Barrett said he knows the school board picked the right candidate.

“She has a passion for students and a vision for equity in our schools that fits well with the work we already have underway,” he said. “Personally, I’m very impressed with the work she has done on teacher housing in Asheville, because we have such a clear need for that as well here.”

The board held multiple forums and sent out surveys so that the association could narrow down the pool of applicants to ones that met criteria set by the community. One characteristic that resonated with many Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents was racial inequality in schools.

Baldwin said equality for all students is something she plans to focus on as superintendent.

“I am really looking forward to working with the community to continue the great work,” she said. “To continue equity work, and to continue to make sure that we serve all students every day. That is near and dear to my heart. I know that it is near and dear to our board’s heart and it’s something that I know our community supports. And I’m very excited to become a part of this wonderful community.”

Barrett said the students are the most important part of the equation, and he’s excited to work with a superintendent who cares about them so much.

“In this community that values education as much as anything else, the head of our chamber of commerce loved to say that, ‘Educated children are our greatest export,'” he said. “The role of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent is absolutely key to our success.”

Baldwin will begin in April, after she finishes her commitment to Asheville City Schools.

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