Osborne Selected as Ann Arbor Superintendent

South Orange-Maplewood Superintendent Brian Osborne was selected Friday as the new schools chief for the Ann Arbor School District.

The Michigan school district's Board of Education unanimously approved Osborne's hiring at a special meeting, according to AnnArbor.com.

School Board President Deb Mexicotte and a representative from the search firm the Michigan school district hired were expected to formally offer Osborne the position Friday night and were approved to negotiate a contract with him, AnnArbor.com reported.

Osborne was selected over Jeanice Kerr Swift, of Colorado. The two were finalists after more than 60 candidates applied for the position.

Osborne and Swift each presented to the Ann Arbor Board of Education this week their plans for what they would do in their first 90 days. See Osborne’s plan here.

Osborne had said in his application that he was drawn to the district's "strength" in facing achievement gap and fiscal challenges.

In the community Q&A session, Osborne said Ann Arbor has a better chance than anywhere of fulfilling what he sees as society’s moral obligation to good public education, according to the report. He added that the job would be a great career opportunity for him and Ann Arbor is a place he would want to raise his family.

Osborne said earlier this week he would have to work out “contractual obligations” with SOMSD, the report said. According to Friday night's discussion among the Ann Arbor BOE, Osborne has a 90-day notice clause in his contract with SOMSD, AnnArbor.com reported.

The SOMSD voted this week to increase Osborne's salary from $208,000 to $221,001. Osborne was also awarded an additional $5,586 that was wrongly withheld from the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.