Seattle School Board members last week maintained that they would have chosen Maria Goodloe-Johnson as Seattle school's next superintendent even if Gregory Thornton hadn't withdrawn his name for the job.

The board voted unanimously last Thursday to approach Goodloe-Johnson with salary negotiations for a three-year contract. The superintendent from Charleston County School District in South Carolina accepted the offer shortly after.

Thornton, chief academic officer at the School District of Philadelphia, had dropped out of the race earlier that morning. He said the move to Seattle would put him too far away from family.

Thornton and Goodloe-Johnson were chosen as the top finalists in a pool of 39 who applied for the job.

Goodloe-Johnson, 49, will replace outgoing Superintendent Raj Manhas, who's scheduled to leave the district this August.

Goodloe-Johnson has run the 43,000-student Charleston district since 2003. Prior to that, she served as assistant superintendent in Texas and director of secondary instruction in Colorado where she was also a high school principal.

She's developed district wide standardized curriculum and a six-year academic plan for Charleston County Schools. Goodloe-Johnson is also credited with turning around some struggling schools but critics say her leadership style in Charleston could be defensive and cold.

The board has agreed to offer a salary of up to $240,000 for the next superintendent but said that will still need to be negotiated. Manhas makes about $178,000 annually.

Board president Cheryl Chow and director Michael DeBell traveled to Charleston and Philadelphia last week to interview people from the candidates' districts. DeBell said he was impressed with what he saw during the Charleston visit.

"(Goodloe-Johnson) had a real impact in the community." said DeBell. "She's raised the profile of public education and is not afraid to challenge the community to make change in order to raise academic achievement. We're looking for a similar impact from Dr. Goodloe-Johnson when she comes to Seattle."

The timing of the decision has irked some parents and community members, coming less than a week after both finalists visited Seattle for board and community interview sessions and less than a day after Chow and DeBell returned from site visits.

Education activist Mel Westbrook told School Board members that the process was too rushed.

"Where was the time for vetting?" Westbrook asked, a parent who served on the district's school-closure advisory committee last year. "I don't believe as thoughtful human beings you gave this process enough time."

DeBell said the interviewing and hiring process had to be quickened or Seattle's top candidate's could be lured away by competing offers from other school districts.

"The truth of the matter is that it's a courtship," said DeBell. "If we don't react we move to the bottom of the list."

Goodloe-Johnson has already presented the School Board with her "superintendent entry plan." It includes touring the city and school district and meeting with local politicians and community leaders.

She comes to Seattle at a time when the district is faced with upcoming school closures, an achievement gap between white and minority students and a deteriorating public trust.

Some of her top priorities for the 46,000-student district address those very issues, including assessing student achievement and building board, public and community trust.

Goodloe-Johnson holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Colorado, Denver. The last three Seattle superintendents have had backgrounds in business and finance. This time the board deliberately sought a candidate with education experience.

Board vice president Darlene Flynn said she was disheartened to hear that Thornton had dropped out of the race and said she would have had a hard time choosing between the two finalists.

Director Irene Stewart said she was "totally blown away" by Goodloe-Johnson from the start and was impressed by her largely data driven academic strategies.

"She has more plans than you can shake a stick at," said Stewart. "And she gets things done. I think we've got someone who can make a real change in Seattle."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com