'Bittersweet': Nyah Hamlett's tenure at CHCCS, decision to move closer to family

Nyah Hamlett started her tenure as Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools superintendent in January 2021. Now, four years later, she is stepping down from her role and heading to Montgomery County, Maryland to be with her family and take on the role of chief equity and development officer for another school district. 

Hamlett started her career as a special education teacher in Virginia Beach in 2004. 

“For me, it was always about working with students with disabilities and students who were struggling readers, to make sure that they had what they needed,” Hamlett said. 

Hamlett worked in multiple school districts across Virginia, eventually serving as assistant superintendent in Henrico County and then chief of staff in Loudoun County. 

When the superintendent position opened up in Chapel Hill, Hamlett said she initially wasn’t interested in the job. 

“I'd prefer to do the meaningful work in the background and roll up my sleeves and support my superintendent, but I had a number of people that were encouraging me and kind of pushing me in this direction,” Hamlett said. 

Coming into her role in Chapel Hill, Hamlett said her priorities included improving communication and transparency with the community, amplifying student and staff voices and focusing on students who tend to be marginalized.

“My little theme was ‘listen, observe and learn.’ I knew that Chapel Hill and Carrboro had had a number of leadership turnovers, and I knew that it was really important to the community to have a connection with not just the superintendent, but also the school board,” Hamlett said. 

Her first task as superintendent was navigating the district through the COVID-19 pandemic. Colleagues described her as a crisis manager who was crucial to the process of bringing school on and offline.

Noa Stuchiner, district director of elementary math and science, said Hamlett’s strengths as superintendent are her emotional and social support for students and teachers.

“[Staff] appreciates that we feel recognized,” Stuchiner said. “We feel heard and seen by her.”

Stuchiner said that Hamlett was warm, personable and known for having open arms and an open office door. She encouraged joy and wellness initiatives, like doing  Zumba with her coworkers.

Brian Link, high school social studies teacher and president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Association of Educators, said that Hamlett’s strength is in her humanity and her ability to work with others.

“She's someone who is able to understand lots of different perspectives and to weigh them, and she's an honest broker,” Link said. 

During her time as superintendent, Hamlett said the graduation rate rose to a record high, the number of schools identified as low-performing for certain groups went from 12 to four, and passing grades for state exams are the highest in the state.

Her administration also saw the reduction of unique student office referrals and in-school suspensions by 20 percent. Link said she worked with the district to pass the first paid family leave guidelines, eventually becoming the blueprint for school districts across the state. 

During her time as superintendent, Hamlett also faced accusations of plagiarism on her doctoral dissertation. She was sued by a former student and his family after she filed a no-contact order against them in the wake of prolonged criticism and online harassment.

In remarks at a Feb. 6 Board of Education meeting, Hamlett said she faced personal attacks, threats to her safety and attempts to undermine her authority and character. 

“Here's the part that most superintendents choose not to talk about, the part that most superintendents of color hold in and suffer in silence, because the work is so important," she said at the meeting. 

Hamlett said that her decision to resign had nothing to do with the controversy and obstacles she has faced during her time as superintendent. 

“[My husband and I are] both adults, and we knew what we were getting into serving as a public figure, that these are some of the things that come with the job,” Hamlett said. “I made the decision to resign in the best interest of my children, their well being and their success.”

Hamlett was raised in Montgomery County, and to her, the equity and development position is a return home.

“It's a great opportunity to go home and serve in the community that raised me, and then also for my own family and children to be in the midst of family and friends,” Hamlett said. “It’s bittersweet, but I’m looking forward to it.”

@sdanbarry

@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com