EXCLUSIVE: IPS Supt. Dr. Eugene White – The Exit Interview

A relaxed, expansive, philosophical Dr. Eugene White sat down with Afternoons with Amos for his final media interview as Superintendent of the Indianapolis Public Schools.  White, who will leave his post after more than even years at the helm of the second largest school district in Indiana sat down with me in an unexpected interview.  Though White appeared on our radio program to give the district’s side of the story in a community dust-up over the fate of Riverside School 44, Dr. White talked more about his tenure as Superintendent and his nearly two decades in education in Indianapolis. Like a proud father and grandfather, Dr. White talked about his successes running the Indianapolis Public Schools.  White was also candid about his shortcomings, saying that he might have handled the situation with the State and school takeovers a little differently.  With ISTEP and IREAD testing about to begin, Dr. White stressed to listeners and the community the importance of those tests and how important it was for parents and grandparents to make sure their children and grandchildren were prepared but not anxious about the tests.  White was playful during the “exit interview”. He joked with a representative of the National Education Association who was in Indianapolis as part of the NEA’s Read Across America program.  White complimented his successor, former Warren Township School Superintendent Dr. Peggy Hinckley who will be IPS’ Interim Superintendent for the next several months.  When asked if a non-educator could run IPS, White was open and expansive.  He acknowledged that a non educator could run a school system, thought most who have tried, White said, “have failed”.  White stressed that IPS’ next Superintendent needs to have a passion for children and a passion for education and be willing to understand the needs of the community.  Click to Hear the Exit Interview with Dr. Eugene White. Runs 49 Minutes. ©2013 WTLC/Radio One.