Mr. Michael Tolley Selected as Superintendent

The Northshore School Board is pleased to announce that Mr. Michael Tolley has been selected as the district's next Superintendent subject to successful completion of contract negotiations. Mr. Tolley will begin in the permanent position on July 1, 2023.

Mr. Michael Tolley was offered the position after an extensive public engagement process including a community survey, focus groups, and Community Forum. In total 27 individuals applied for the Superintendent position and 8 applicants were moved forward for School Board consideration representing high-performing districts from across the nation. The three finalists were from Arkansas, Michigan, and Washington.

In response to his selection, Mr. Tolley stated, “I am extremely honored to be selected as Northshore’s next Superintendent. I want to thank the Northshore School Board for their vote of confidence as well as the many individuals that gave their time and valuable feedback during the selection process."

"As a lifelong educator, I am deeply committed to the success of our community’s children. I look forward to accelerating the great work underway throughout the school district. I am excited to partner with our students and their families, staff, and the broader community to ensure each and every student in the Northshore School District has the opportunity to pursue and achieve their hopes and dreams, particularly those students furthest away from racial and educational justice" added Mr. Tolley.

“On behalf of the School Board, I want to congratulate Mr. Tolley. We were fortunate to have an exceptional pool of highly qualified, equity-focused superintendent candidates to choose from - and he rose to the top,” shared Board President Jacqueline McGourty.  

President McGourty added, “Mr. Tolley is an exceptional educational leader with a strong track record of working collaboratively with school leaders and staff to improve outcomes for students - especially those furthest from racial and educational justice. He has the vision, skills, and experience to support Northshore in realizing our commitments to our students now and into the future. The Board looks forward to supporting him as he leads our district as the next Superintendent.”

Please help us in congratulating Mr. Michael Tolley!

 

About Mr. Michael Tolley

Mr. Michael Tolley currently serves as the Northshore School District’s Interim Superintendent. He has worked in public education for over 30 years beginning as a teacher and school administrator; a district leader in South Carolina; and the Associate Superintendent for Washington’s largest district, serving a diverse population of 54,000 students.

Mr. Tolley is a lifelong teacher, from a family of educators, and has dedicated his career to supporting students in achieving their educational aspirations. His core values of high integrity, collaboration, transparency, and data-informed decision making have significantly improved outcomes for generations of students. He is excited by the opportunity to continue this work in Northshore.

During his tenure, Mr. Tolley has strengthened Northshore’s commitment to racial and educational justice and ensuring equitable outcomes for each student. He greatly values ongoing collaboration with educators, families, labor partners, the school board, and the community so that all students achieve their goals.

Prior to serving as the Interim Superintendent, Mr. Tolley was Assistant Superintendent for the East Region in Northshore providing supervision of school leaders and Special Services departments.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston, master’s in Education, Education Specialist degree, and superintendent certification from The Citadel.