BUFFALO, N.Y. —
Dr. Kriner Cash is out as Buffalo Public Schools superintendent, and Dr. Tonja Williams is in.
"I am looking forward to leading this team of experienced administrators," Williams said. "I am a native Buffalonian. I was born in Buffalo, I was raised on the East Side. My parents met at East High School. I graduated from Riverside."
The news came Wednesday night at the Buffalo Public Schools Board meeting held at Waterfront Elementary, where the school board unanimously approved a resolution accepting Cash's resignation.
Board members Larry Scott and Sharon Belton-Cottman say they are looking forward to a new season in the district, though there is a lot of work to be done moving forward.
"I'm feeling very inspired today," Scott says. "I think the board is united today, and I think there's a refreshing sense amongst us in this room."
Belton-Cottman echoed similar sentiments. She told 2 On Your Side, "I am very excited. It gives our district an opportunity to have a new cultural change."
Dr. Tonja Williams was also named the acting superintendent for a school district facing a series of issues. The announcement came after a lengthy executive session. Williams will serve until a permanent replacement is found.
“It has been my distinct privilege to serve the children and families of the Buffalo Public Schools," Cash said in a statement Wednesday night. "You have a fine school system. Take full advantage of all of the wonderful array of programs and services it has to offer. Best wishes for continued success!”
Williams said she's looking forward to leading the school district.
“I’m honored and so very excited to be offered an opportunity to serve as the interim superintendent," she said in a statement Wednesday night. "My professional journey from being a building principal to an executive district level administrator has come full circle.
"I am ready to serve and work with the dedicated Buffalo School Board Members, staff, faculty, parents, students, and all of the community stakeholders in the city to elevate the accomplishments and vision for school safety at every campus and educational excellence for every single student, in this district."
Also at Wednesday night's board meeting, a resolution was passed to hire an independent security consultant contractor to look into the attack at McKinley High School earlier this month.
The board says the "expert examination" is needed to understand all of the facts of what happened that day.
Last month, the Buffalo Teachers Federation issued a vote of no-confidence for Dr. Cash. The vote of no-confidence cited safety and an uptick in violence at city schools.
"Many calls for increased security and the increasing serious acts of violence, as delineated in the resolution, have been inadequately addressed and gotten worse," the statement from Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, read in part last month.
"Ultimately, this is and was the responsibility of the Superintendent. Based upon what is contained in the 'No Confidence' resolution passed by the BTF Council of Delegates, representatives from all public schools, Buffalo teachers no longer have confidence that these dangerous and serious conditions will improve under Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash’s leadership."
Until this week, McKinley High School had been closed since a student was stabbed 10 times and a security guard was shot on February 9.
Sirgio Jeter, a 14-year-old McKinley High student, is fighting for his life at Oishei Children's Hospital after being stabbed 10 times outside the school.
His mother, Aurielle Austin, told 2 On Your Side she wants to see real change from the school district moving forward.
"I want for the Buffalo Public Schools to acknowledge their wrong and neglect and see to it that these Buffalo Public Schools are more than secure from here on out."