Broadway Elementary School stood at the corner of Girard and West Broadway in north Minneapolis, and it was there, in 1996, that a former University of Minnesota student began her education career.
Flash forward to Feb. 5, 2024 to the same corner.
Instead of an elementary school, the John B. Davis Education Service Center now stands, and that same woman came there for her first day as Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent.
“To come back as superintendent, I never would have imagined that,” said Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams. “Never. Not at all.”
Dr. Sayles-Adams was hired to replace Ed Graff, who left in the middle of last year after his contract expired.
After teaching eight years in Minneapolis, Dr. Sayles-Adams became a principal in Georgia, then came back to the Twin Cities as an assistant superintendent in St. Paul.
She was superintendent of Eastern Carver County Schools when she got the new job, and instead of waiting for a new school year to start, she got on board as fast as she could.