By Venus Morris.

Dear Mr. Superintendent,

Tony Smith, Oakland's new public school Superintendent sits down with Youth Radio's Venus Morris and Pendarvis Harshaw and continues to discuss what it means to be a Superintendent in general, and what it means to be a Superintendent in Oakland public schools...

Oakland blog writer Pendarvis Harshaw and student reporter Venus Morris interview new Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District Tony Smith in the first part of a three part interview. Smith, who takes over as the Superintendent for the district after six years of state control, was an administrator in San Francisco and previously ran schools in Emeryville.

With unprecedented budget woes, the state broke, and the city broke-- what can the new superintendent do to fix Oakland public schools?

In 2003, the Oakland public schools were taken over by the state. Last week, they were given back. On KQED, we hear from Tony Smith, Oakland's new superintendent. Smith, 42, was an administrator in San Francisco and previously ran schools in Emeryville. Smith has a daughter currently enrolled in an Oakland public school. Smith plans on rebuilding the school system and has been praised for reaching out and connecting to different groups. YMI will be following this story in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!