The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fulton surveys parents online in school superintendent search
All intown neighborhoods can follow along for the latest news on Twitter: @atlnewsnow Survey will remain open on district’s website until Jan. 23.
Fulton County Schools has announced a timeline for its superintendent search and posted a three-question online survey about what parents want in the next leader.
The district is conducting a national search after Jeff Rose resigned unexpectedly in November, nearly a year before his contract expired. Rose cited personal reasons for his departure, which came as the board discussed the renewal of his contract.
Some parents who supported Rose have blamed the school board for his early exit and have called on board members to involve parents in the search for his replace- ment. The board brought back a former superinten- dent, Cindy Loe, to serve as interim until a new superin- tendent is hired.
The system plans to adver- tise the opening in national p ublications and send notices to school systems “of a certain size,” among other steps. Fulton enrolls nearly 95,000 students and is Georgia’s fourth-largest school district. Candidates are to be interviewed this winter or spring, and board members plan to visit the cities where the candidates work, to “seek candid opinions and assessments.”
Board President Linda Bryant previously said the district aims to have a superintendent hired by the start of next school year.
The survey, which will remain open on the district’s website until Jan. 23, asks people to rank what skills and abilities are important in a superintendent. The choices include the relationship between the superintendent and board, community engagement, recruiting top talent, teaching and learning, and business and executive skills. It also asks people to rank the most important personal attributes of a superintendent, such as listening, decision making, experience, organizational abilities and being a “visionary.”
A report on the survey results will be made within the next month.
Board members also will gather feedback at community meetings, or people can send an email about the superintendent search to superintendentsearch@fultonschools.org.