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Education experience valued in next Wake superintendent

Wake County schools superintendent Catty Moore sits and watches as elementary school students work on a problem at Fuller Elementary School Thursday, May 24, 2018.

Wake County schools superintendent Catty Moore sits and watches as elementary school students work on a problem at Fuller Elementary School Thursday, May 24, 2018.

cliddy@newsobserver.com

Wake County’s next superintendent should be an educator who has high standards of integrity and is willing to listen to others, according to parents and school employees.

The N.C. School Boards Association developed a “leadership profile” of what people want in the next school superintendent based on surveys completed by nearly 5,000 community members and school staff. A common theme in those survey responses, as well as in public input sessions, is that people want a person who has education experience as opposed to a non-educator to lead the district.

“The North Carolina School Boards Association helped us gather input from our Wake County staff and our Wake County community so that us as a board would know what our community values and believes our next instructional leader of our district should possess,” school board chair Lindsay Mahaffey said at Friday’s specially called board meeting.

Mahaffey said the board waited to get the survey responses before they review the 28 candidates who’ve applied for the position. The board is looking for a successor to Superintendent Catty Moore, who is retiring at the end of June.

Classroom teaching experience valued

Most superintendents are career educators. For instance, Moore has worked in the Wake County school system for 30 years, starting as a teacher.

Wake broke with that pattern in late 2010 when Tony Tata, a retired U.S. Army general, was hired by the board’s then conservative majority.

Tata served as Wake schools superintendent from 2010 until the school board dismissed him in September 2012.
Tata served as Wake schools superintendent from 2010 until the school board dismissed him in September 2012. Takaaki Iwabu News & Observer file photo

Tata’s tenure ended in 2012 when he was fired by a new Democratic majority. Board members had cited issues such as Tata’s leadership style and widespread transportation problems from a new school choice assignment plan.

In the surveys, respondents were asked nine questions about what kind of experience they want the new superintendent to possess.

Both parents and community members ranked as No. 1 having been an effective classroom teacher. Both groups also ranked dead last having a person who has leadership experience outside of education, such as the military or business.

Both groups also rated highly having been a successful principal and having experience in building, maintaining and managing schools.

Leadership characteristics

In addition to asking about experience, survey respondents were asked to rank the characteristics that are most important to them. Based on the respondents, some of the characteristics added to the leadership profile were:

Models high standards of integrity.

Is willing to listen to input.

Understands how to provide safe and welcoming environment for students and staff.

Understands how to effectively advocate for needed resources.

The next step for the school board will be to identify which of the applicants will be chosen for interviews.

Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer

T. Keung Hui has covered K-12 education for the News & Observer since 1999, helping parents, students, school employees and the community understand the vital role education plays in North Carolina. His primary focus is Wake County, but he also covers statewide education issues.



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