SBCSC fills position to focus on African American students

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- At Monday’s South Bend School Corporation meeting, the board named Nathan Boyd as director of African American Student and Parent Services.

Boyd most recently served as principal of Grisson Middle School in the PHM district. It was there he was recognized as Indiana’s Middle School Principal of the Year. Previously, he worked for South Bend as the principal of Lasalle Intermediate.

“A lot of things made him the right guy. He knows our school district. He knows our demographics and our students. We are looking forward to working with him we are looking forward to showing some demonstrable progress in that department we want to bridge that achievement gap,” says Stan Wruble, Board President.

Boyd will fill the position previously held by Dr. G David Moss. In his four years as director, the community felt Moss didn’t do enough for black students and many requested he be removed from the position.

Last month, the district did not renew his contract and began looking for a replacement.

“There’s an urgency with this role. I think from the entire community of South Bend I think we all know there are areas we can improve. We want to do things such as increase the graduation rate for our African American students and reduce the number of suspensions and expulsions for African American students,” says Boyd.

Throughout the hiring process, Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Spells worked with the community to find the right fit. He says they were looking for a great leader, which is what they found in Boyd.

"He's going to take us to the next level. He really understands poverty, he understands data. He's been very successful in every stop. I think we have a lot of students that we have to better serve and I think he can do that,” says Dr. Spells.