The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district has its new leader — and it’s a familiar face.
Rodney Trice was formally selected and approved by the district’s Board of Education to be its next superintendent on Thursday night. Trice, who is in his 12th year of working with CHCCS, will be promoted from Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Systemic Equity and Engagement, a role which he has held since 2022.
“It’s deeply meaningful to have the honor of serving my community,” he said in a release through the school system. “This community has shaped my children. It’s shaped the careers of my wife and I. So I view the superintendency as a way to continue giving back to the community I’ve proudly called home for nearly two decades.”
Rodney Trice, CHCCS’ latest superintendent. (Photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.)
Trice returned to CHCCS administrator in 2021 to join the administration of Nyah Hamlett as superintendent, who will depart the school system to become the chief equity and development officer for Montgomery County Schools in Maryland. During his first stint with the district, Trice served as associate superintendent for student and social services and equity oversight after holding the position of executive director of curriculum, instruction and technology. He left CHCCS to work for seven years in Wake County Public Schools — as their assistant superintendent of equity affairs — and also has experience as a policy advisor for the North Carolina Department of Instruction, an associate principal in Orange County Schools, and a classroom science teacher, department chair and director from his time in Detroit.
In his latest stint with CHCCS, Trice was tasked with leading the district’s Office of Equity and Engagement with the goal of creating equitable learning environments for all students and staff, while also working to include all community members when gathering input. That included the district’s 2022 Strategic Plan, as Trice was heavily involved in developing and soliciting feedback — citing the final goals of cultivating instructional excellence, promoting safety and wellness, investing in and empowering the district community, strengthening engagement efforts and improving financial transparency. He has also been a key figure in the district’s ongoing transition to a 4×4 block schedule for all CHCCS high schools, which will go into effect this upcoming academic year with the goal of standardizing the student experience to make it more flexible and equitable.
Despite working for Wake County Schools, Trice and his family remained Chapel Hill residents, with his oldest daughter graduating through the CHCCS district and his second now in high school. While here, Trice earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from UNC to go along with his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and master’s in Educational Administration from the University of Detroit at Mercy.
CHCCS conducted a widespread search through a third party, with Trice being picked from a pool of 37 applicants from 14 different states and territories. The Board of Education and district said they were guided by more than 6,700 responses and comments from staff members, family members, students and community members who responded to surveys earlier in 2025 regarding their ideal superintendent’s qualities.
“Dr. Trice’s genuine and heartfelt dedication to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is what stood out,” said Board of Education Chair George Griffin in Thursday’s release. “Dr. Trice is invested here, and he is highly regarded both professionally and personally. That, combined with his experience, accolades, preparation and performance, made Dr. Trice the ideal choice to be the next Superintendent.”
Trice describes his leadership approach as rooted in partnership and the district can expect him to be a superintendent who is “approachable, open and transparent – and who’s ready to roll up their sleeves and be a full partner in tackling challenges.”
“If our system isn’t working for a student, a family or a teacher,” he said, “I want them to feel comfortable reaching out and saying, ‘Rodney, this isn’t working.’ People can expect me to listen deeply and work collaboratively to find real solutions that move us forward.”
With Hamlett leaving next week to take personal time, the board unanimously approved Trice as the interim superintendent in her stead. A formal swearing-in ceremony for Trice will be scheduled soon — perhaps at the board’s June 18 meeting, said Griffin — and afterward, he will host informal summer meet-and-greets with families and staff. A more formal listening tour is being organized in the fall as the 2025-26 school year gets started, with more details to be shared later by the district.
Trice’s contract, once signed, will be for four years with a total annual salary of $235,000 according to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
A Farewell to Hamlett
Before the board adjusted its agenda to add the action of hiring Trice, the elected officials took time to send off Hamlett after her years of service. During her four-plus years at the helm, she navigated the district through the COVID-19 pandemic, created and implemented a new strategic plan, and saw marked improvements in key indicators for student success – including within minority demographics.
Many of the board members praised Hamlett’s unwavering leadership in standing up for equity and children’s’ needs, as well as her staff’s needs. Teacher retention and recruitment was so strong that it contributed to the district’s budget constraints last year, they said, because CHCCS saw fewer departures than expected and maintained positive marks among educators.
That dedication to teachers was emphasized by Brian Link of East Chapel Hill High School, who serves as the president of the district’s chapter of the Association of Educators.
“There was truly a sense of worry and fear of what was coming next [post-COVID]. And it was Dr. Hamlett who brought many voices together at the table and created structures and procedures…to build consensus and make it to where everyone felt like they could get to the point of first coming back to our schools and improving upon where we were previously.
“We had a leader who not only said the words, but did the work and achieved the results,” Link added of CHCCS’ improvement. “And you did so in a way that put the people first.”
During her comments on Thursday night, Hamlett largely credited her staff and the district’s teachers for their efforts working with students and implementing strategies to meet her administration’s goals.
“The only reason why you guys can recite those [improvement] stats,” she said, “is because of the work [the educators] do every single day. They have done an amazing job and they know that the work is not over just because I’m going on to a new chapter.
“Even those who didn’t agree with my [approaches],” Hamlett concluded, “I just thank you on going through this journey with me and being the amazing leaders, educators that you are and [I hope] you continue to fight for the children of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.”
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