HAZELWOOD 鈥 The Ferguson-Florissant School District has picked Howard Fields, an award-winning administrator who started his career as a student teacher in the district, to be its next superintendent.
Fields, 40, is currently the assistant superintendent of human resources in Kirkwood School District. He has also been a principal in the Webster Groves and Riverview Gardens districts. In 2023, Fields was a finalist for superintendent of Normandy Schools Collaborative.
鈥淭he opportunity to serve the district where I began my journey in education holds deep meaning,鈥 Fields said in a statement. 鈥淚 am excited to be part of the community that has been so pivotal in my foundational years.鈥
Fields said he attended preschool at a church within district boundaries, completed his student teaching in the district and graduated from 51黑料 Community College-Florissant Valley.
People are also reading…
The superintendent search in Ferguson-Florissant took less than two months following the ouster of Joseph Davis, who led the district for nearly 10 years. Davis was placed on leave earlier this year after he was accused in two lawsuits of sexual harassment and discrimination against former school principals.
Joycelyn Pugh-Walker, executive director of federal programs, and Brent Mitchell, assistant superintendent of support services, took over for Davis temporarily while the school board launched a search for a permanent leader.
The school board voted to hire Fields in a closed session Wednesday.
鈥淗is knowledge of our district was impressive,鈥 board President Donna Paulette-Thurman said in a statement. 鈥淒r. Fields knows our challenges as well as the accomplishments we鈥檝e achieved. He has a vision for moving the district forward and was not intimidated by the areas that need improvement to help right our ship.鈥
The district is in the middle of a financial crisis. It plans to close one school and merge three others this fall to help address a budget deficit of nearly $8 million.
Fields鈥 experience includes adjunct professor positions at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Harris-Stowe State University. He is a co-founder of Black Males in Education-51黑料 and recently invented a board game for educators to practice tackling difficult decisions in school operations.
Howard Fields, top right, the creator of The Game of Education, leads a seminar for the Department of Teaching and Learning at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville on Friday, April 18, 2025.
Fields holds a doctorate in education from the University of Missouri-51黑料. He has been certified as a superintendent in Missouri since 2019. Fields鈥 wife, Nancy, is a graduate of Ferguson-Florissant and a former teacher in the district.
In 2020, Fields was named distinguished principal of Missouri by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. At the time, Fields was principal of Givens Elementary and Steger Sixth Grade Center in Webster Groves.
Fields鈥 first principal position was in Riverview Gardens, the same district he attended as a child. He was just days from starting his first year at Koch Elementary in Ferguson when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer outside the Canfield Green apartments, where many of his students lived.
Fields gathered his teachers together before they opened the school doors in August 2014 to welcome children who had to walk past protesters and police officers, empty tear gas containers and a burgeoning memorial for Brown.
He told the teachers they would help the students do more than just survive. That year, Koch nearly doubled its performance rating for test scores and attendance.
鈥淓ven in adverse circumstances, I knew that all kids can learn at a high level,鈥 Fields told the Post-Dispatch in a previous interview.
The next superintendent of Ferguson-Florissant School District is Howard Fields, who started his career as a student teacher in the district.
