Thursday, October 1, 2026
Shakirah Miller was appointed as interim superintendent of the Freeport school district on April 2, effective immediately. She is the third person to be the district's educational leader in the past year.
Miller is a former educator with more than 25 years of experience of teaching, leadership coaching and working as a school administrator. She replaces Alice Kane, who held the interim superintendent role for nearly a year before returning to retirement on April 1. Miller, too, is coming out of retirement to provide at least temporary stability to a district whose residents have been vocal in questioning its direction and what many describe as administrative failure to provide adequate leadership and transparency over the past year.
Fia Davis was the full-time superintendent from August 2024 until she was placed on administrative leave by the school board in April 2025. Kane was appointed to the interim role soon after, and announced on March 20, 2026, her decision to retire once more, citing personal reasons.
Freeport Public Schools did not publicly disclose the reason they had placed Davis on administrative leave until a town hall meeting on Feb. 9. During the meeting it was revealed that the district was suing Davis for allegedly misusing district funds, not disclosing relationships she had with vendors she approved contracts with on behalf of the district and misrepresenting her qualifications during her interview and hiring process. The Freeport school board is seeking over $400,000 in reimbursements and damages from Davis.
Miller, 52, who earned advanced degrees from Rutgers University-Newark, Teachers College at Columbia University and St. Peter’s University, most recently served as assistant superintendent of the school district in Newark, N.J., her hometown, for 10 years.
Freeport school board trustees expressed confidence in Miller’s leadership, noting that her appointment represents both stability and opportunity.
“Dr. Miller’s experience and leadership style make her exceptionally well-suited to support the district during this interim period,” board President Sunday Coward said in a statement to the Herald. “We are eager to work alongside her as we continue to move the district forward until we can conduct a thoughtful search for the next superintendent.”
Former colleagues of Miller’s have praised her approach to education and community leadership.
“She didn’t just tell me what to fix — she showed me how to think differently,” Marcela Palma, an academic interventionist in the Newark school district whom Miller supervised, wrote to the school board. “That stuck with me more than anything.”
Valerie Kilpatrick, a retired teacher, emphasized the professional culture Miller fostered, telling the Freeport school board that she “appreciated that she (Miller) treated us like professionals. No micromanaging, just clear expectations and support. We didn’t always agree, but she never made me feel my concerns seemed less valued.”
Valerie Wilson, a school business administrator in the Newark district, said she was similarly impressed by Miller on an administrative level. “You always knew she was advocating for what was right,” Wilson said, “even when it wasn’t the easiest position to take.”
Even some parents in the Newark district have praised Miller’s impact, including Zaida Ucetrra, whose children attended the city’s Miller Street School. “My children felt safe and supported, and that means everything to a parent.”
In addition to her work in public education, Miller is the founder and CEO of JJMP Coaching and Consulting, based in New Jersey, where she serves as a strategic adviser and executive coach.
“This is an exciting moment for Freeport,” school board Vice President Scott Richardson stated. “Dr. Miller’s leadership gives us confidence that the district will remain focused, supported and positioned for continued success.”
Miller will work closely with the board and district leadership to ensure “continuity, stability and progress,” the district wrote in a statement to the Herald, until the search for a permanent superintendent can begin.
Coward and other trustees have said that the search cannot move forward until the lawsuit the district filed against Davis is resolved and her employment is officially terminated. No timeline for ending the year-long controversy has been made public.
