Tonja M. Williams had just been appointed interim superintendent of the state's second largest school district on Wednesday evening. As her first order of business, she gave a shout-out to the people who helped her along the way.
"Good evening to all the Buffalo Public School students, and families, the board members, my mom – who I know is watching on TV," she said.
With that out of the way, she assessed the moment and said: "This is huge."
Williams, 57, ascended to the top job in a district of 30,000 students the same day the School Board accepted the resignation of Kriner Cash, who had come under fire recently for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and for how he handled tensions at McKinley High School that escalated into a violent assault last month. School Board President Louis Petrucci said Cash was not asked to resign, and his departure from the district was by mutual agreement.
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The School Board approved a termination agreement with Cash on Wednesday night after days of speculation about the future of the superintendent.
Cash will receive more than $316,000 as part of his agreement to leave the post he has held for the past seven years, according to a separation agreement released Thursday afternoon by the district.
Williams will be paid a rate of $423 per day, which corresponds to an annual salary of about $154,000.
While Cash worked in Memphis, Miami and Martha's Vineyard before coming to Buffalo, Williams followed a more local path. Born and raised in Buffalo, she attended Buffalo Public Schools, graduating from Riverside High School. Her parents met at East High School, she said.
Her teaching experience includes being a minority teaching fellow at Canisius College from 2008 to 2011, and a seven-month stint as an instructor at Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in 2017.
Board members said they see her hometown upbringing and knowledge of the district and community as a plus.
"I think this is a great day for the City of Buffalo. This board came together and made a decision based on Buffalo. Somebody who was from Buffalo who understands Buffalo, understands the families, understands the children," at-Large Board Member Terrance Heard said.
Ferry District Board Member Sharon Belton-Cottman said the fact that Williams is a Buffalo native and has spent her career with the district "was a fairy tale come true."
But she said the board would have appointed Williams if she was not a Buffalo native.
"We wanted to make sure we had someone who had a reputation of being fair and amicable and who could handle the challenge," Belton-Cottman said.
Security guards and administrators will be strategically placed, and Peacemakers will be stationed at the front corners of the building, helping students with safe passage, said McKinley Principal Moustafa Khalil.
She said Williams is a hard worker and someone who does not mind being held responsible.
Williams said her two priorities are ensuring that all school campuses are safe and ensuring that all children are learning at high-quality levels. She plans to reach out to the community with a listening tour of coffee and conversation chats.
"She also wants to visit churches, she wants to visit community centers, she wants to come out into the community to see where the problem lies to see how she can adapt and help this district move forward," Heard said.
Williams was a school counselor for nine years, supervisor of Safe and Drug Free Schools in the district and director of Guidance and Counseling.
She served as principal of two struggling Buffalo elementary schools for five years. She was principal of Marva J. Daniel Futures Preparatory School No. 37 from 2011 to 2015, and as principal of the Arthur O. Eve School of Distinction No. 61 in 2015-16. Both high-poverty schools failed to meet annual proficiency targets for English and math during that time period and scored below district and state averages, according to annual New York State Education Department report cards.
She was named an assistant superintendent in 2016 and became associate superintendent for student support services in 2019.
As associate superintendent of student support services, Williams oversaw youth services, attendance, social and emotional health, social work, homelessness, guidance counseling, family and community relations and student placement, according to a description of the position. Her department was the liaison for parent groups.
"She knows us, that's the good thing. She knows the parent groups. She came up from guidance – she knows the students," said Wendy Mistretta, president of the Parent Coordinating Council. "We’re here to collaborate with her. We’ll continue to work with her."
Parent advocate Samuel Radford III said he thinks after Cash's tenure, a leader from Buffalo is a good thing. He said the community is splintered and divided.
"I think that's what 's needed now. I think that's going to be helpful," Radford said. "He alienated people. That hurt our community."
Williams comes to oversee a district that, like others, has been grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic for nearly two years. It is struggling with problems with school violence, charges of grade tampering, transportation issues, after school programming and reopening schools from Covid restrictions.
The district was the last in the state to return to in-person learning, and it has come under fire from parents for poor communication, and decisions such as engaging in remote learning when it ran out of snow days.
The announcement reverses a declaration by Buffalo school officials Monday night that masks must continue to be worn. New York City schools are requiring masks this week, but other large city school districts, including Albany, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers, had decided that masks will be optional.
The message on masking was mixed this week. The day after the governor announced the mask mandate for schools would be dropped Wednesday, the district told parents masks would still be required. After officials found out the district could not require masks, it notified parents late Tuesday that masks would be optional.
"Thankfully interim Superintendent Dr. Williams was a direct part of that decision-making regarding the change in mask policy," at-Large Board Member Lawrence Scott said. "We need to establish communication to all parties involved. For example, our bus drivers this morning were unaware of the change of policy or some of them weren’t aware of the change in policy and were insisting students get on the bus with masks on."
Williams also will preside over a poor school district, but with an abundance of federal funding. The district received $289 million in federal Covid stimulus.
"The money is there to really restructure the system and innovate to actually meet the needs of kids in an urban setting," Radford said. "This is a critical moment for not just Buffalo education but Buffalo."
Petrucci said Williams is expected to serve while the board conducts a search for a new superintendent. She said she might be interested in a permanent position.
A search typically takes six months to a year, depending on the time of year it starts, Petrucci said.
"There will be input from the community," he said.
News Staff Reporter Sandra Tan contributed to this article.
