Ferndale school board chooses new superintendent

FERNDALE — A new superintendent has been selected for Ferndale Public Schools.

The Ferndale Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously for Camille Hibbler to become the superintendent at its March 5 meeting. She succeeds Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, who resigned from the position at the end of last year.

Hibbler was hired in the district in August 2022. Before becoming the interim superintendent following Goodrum’s departure, Hibbler was the assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Hibbler said she is excited to take on the new role, one that she had to take into serious consideration before she officially applied. A mother of two children, Hibbler said she thought long and hard before deciding she wanted to become the district’s next superintendent.

“Of course there was interest, but you know my family is first, my kids are first, my husband. So I needed to make sure that that was OK,” she said. “With the support in my village, I was able to see that it was possible, that I wouldn’t miss a step with any of my, you know, gymnastics for my daughter, swim for my son — all of the things that we had in place, I could keep going with the support in my village. So once I realized that, it was full steam ahead.”

Hibbler also stated that it was important for her to take on the superintendent’s role when there aren’t a lot of Black women serving in superintendent roles.

“I just am very, very clear that, as a Black woman in this position, that we are few and far between across the country. So I think that as a Black woman leader, that’s huge for me,” she said. “I’m very clear that, like, a lot of people that are looking at me or I’m like a mirror for some of our students, so I don’t take that for granted. I know that they are watching and I’m extremely focused on ensuring that I make them proud and make decisions that are positively impacting them. So that means a lot.”

Board President Sandra Dukhie said Hibbler has shown strong leadership as interim superintendent and that she’s been very collaborative with all aspects of the district.

The board also received feedback from staff and the community to look internally at Hibbler to become the permanent superintendent before taking on a big search process.

“She really expressed and demonstrated that she has a serious and strong commitment to the Ferndale Schools and all the students,” Dukhie said. “She is data driven, so her decisions are data driven and she uses those to make the best decisions for all students to ensure that they have the best educational experiences that prepare them for whatever their futures are.”

Hibbler stated that support from the community was a big surprise and one that humbled her.

Hibbler still is serving in the interim capacity as superintendent as the district works on a contract, which Dukhie said the district is aiming to get done around spring break at the end of March.

“My confidence in Camille is really strong,” Dukhie said. “She’s very humble, and she has a level of humility about her in her day-to-day interactions. She’s eager to learn and she’s always seeking thought partners, whether it be internal or external. She leverages all kinds of educational community partners in our work. And for me, that’s a huge asset because our world is ever changing and no one person knows everything, and to be able to leverage a thought partner on some big move that may be coming that may impact us in Ferndale and we’re not aware of is going to be a benefit.

Going forward, Hibbler said she’s excited to get to work on the district’s strategic plan. She wants to convert it to a dynamic plan, which would allow the district to review its goals, look at data and make real-time adjustments to the plan. She said that equity must be at the forefront of Ferndale’s plans, as well as a data-driven culture.

“We want to make sure that we’re adjusting and reflecting our goals with our students in mind. And I believe a dynamic plan will allow for us to do that,” she said.