After hearing of her selection in December, much of the Orange County Schools community had its first opportunity to meet their new superintendent, Danielle Jones, on Monday night.
“This is a tremendous honor,” she said during her first remarks after taking the oath of office, “and I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Orange County Board of Education for the trust and confidence they have placed in me to lead our district.”
Jones also opened her official first few moments as superintendent by thanking her family for the encouragement they give her and her mentors in education for their leadership to this part of her journey. She took time to address her new district’s educators, thanking them for their passion to help children and saying she looks forward to fostering an environment of trust, mutual respect, and academic excellence in the schools. Jones also described her leadership style as collaborative, distributive, and student-focused – which she also emphasized in her comments to the Orange County parents.
“I am committed,” she said, “to promoting open communication and collaboration to ensure a safe learning environment, where every child receives the academic and social-emotional support they need to succeed.”
Orange County Schools Superintendent Danielle Jones sits with her family at her swearing-in ceremony on January 8, 2023. (Photo via Alicia Stemper.)
Danielle Jones takes the oath of office for Orange County Schools’ superintendency with her husband, Carlton, holding the bible. (Photo via Alicia Stemper.)
Jones arrives in Orange County after four years in the Durham Public Schools system, first as a leadership coach and principal supervisor. She then shifted to being an assistant superintendent, overseeing the 12 middle schools of the district and working individually with their principals.
The school board as a whole made few official comments on Monday about Jones’ selection, other than their excitement to bring the new superintendent to the district. During the recess after the ceremony, though, some members shared their personal feelings about the hire.
Board Member Carrie Doyle – who works in Durham Public Schools as a teacher – said she was impressed in the interview process by Jones’ research into Orange County Schools’ operations.
“Dr. Jones has a great background for what we need in Orange County Schools,” Doyle added. “She’s beloved by principals in Durham Public Schools – I’ve heard that personally from principals I know. They’re very sad to lose her, and we’re very lucky to have her.”
Board Member Bonnie Hauser said during the two rounds of interviews with top candidates, Jones’ responses revealed “a spark and excitement” that she feels helped separate Jones from the field. She said she hopes to be able to have an open and candid working relationship with the superintendent as Jones settles into the role.
“You can see that she’s just naturally transparent, naturally engaging – and you heard her words about building trust in the district,” said Hauser. “That’s going to be really important at this point. It was a rough few years with COVID and there’s been a lot of turnover, so it’s an important time [for the district.]”
Orange County Schools’ superintendent search for Jones came after the district’s parting of ways with Monique Felder, despite having two years remaining on her contract. Felder and the board announced just weeks before the start of the academic year that the superintendent would seek new opportunities after four years at the helm.
Both in her initial remarks to the district community in 2019 – and her final remarks in July – Felder focused heavily on improving student equity. When asked by 97.9 The Hill about whether diversity, equity and inclusion are among her priorities, Jones responded that she thinks it’s “the right thing.”
“We’re going to make sure we’re meeting the needs of every single child in the district – their academic needs and their social-emotional needs,” she said.
Orange County Board of Education members pose with Danielle Jones after she was sworn in as superintendent. (Photo via Alicia Stemper.)
Jones added that she felt strongly about joining Orange County Schools – and not just after she was hired in December.
“This is the only superintendency I applied for,” she said. “I [was] making sure this is a good fit for me… I believe it is. I’m just excited to get started.”
Jason Johnson, the principal of Orange High School, was among the many educators and officials from the district in attendance to meet Jones on Monday. While he looks forward to getting to know her more, he said he hopes she’s the kind of superintendent that always picks up the phone when getting a call from principals and district leaders.
Johnson added that he thinks it is critical for the entire Orange County community support Jones in her early days on the job.
“As she learns the district, as she learns the schools,” he said, “it’s very important that each principal, each teacher, each community member, parents…we all put our energy behind Dr. Jones to make sure she’s successful.”
Orange County’s Board of Education approved a contract with Jones running through June 2027 in its December meeting. The new superintendent will have her first official day with the district on February 1.
Featured photo via Alicia Stemper.
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