FCS is seeking 2 principals
♦ The heads of Model middle and high schools are retiring.
Floyd County Schools’ Model area will experience some transitions this upcoming school year, with two principals retiring.
Steve Turrentine of Model Middle School and Scott Savage of Model High are both retiring from their posts as principals. Now, Superintendent Jeff Wilson said, the local school governance teams will have their work cut out looking for replacements.
“I’m disappointed for Floyd County Schools but I’m excited for Steve and Scott. Both of them have done fantastic jobs,” Wilson said of the two retiring principals.
While Wilson has final say-so in who will replace these principals, he said much of that decision will be up to the LSGTS at both schools.
Floyd County Schools is a charter school system, which means most decisions, including personnel issues, require input at the school governance level.
“You’ve got to get through the LSGT,” Wilson said of the hiring process for new principals. “Every school has its own DNA. You need to be a good match for their community.”
Candidates must apply for the jobs on Teachgeorgia.org and there is a screening process to make sure they meet the qualifications. After they are screened, the governance teams will hold their own interview processes. Wilson said usually the team will send two candidates to him as finalists. If members have a hard time deciding, they might send over three. Once this happens, he’ll interview those candidates.
“I look for things that LSGTS may not look for,” he said. “It’s very rare that I wouldn’t go with one of the folks they sent me. I don’t micromanage my principals. I’ve got to have someone I can trust completely.”
Wilson said a good high school principal is hard to come by. “On Fridays, it’s not unusual for the principal to work long hours,” he said.
This is due to Friday night football and many other activities that take place at the high school level. On top of that, Wilson said he would like someone who can relate to high school students.
“High school principals have to deal with young adults who may not make the best decisions,” he said. “Students may not articulate it, but they also want a principal who supports the teachers and makes sure that teacher has the time for professional development.”
Wilson said both Model Middle and Model High are highperforming schools. He said the new principals will need to come in with high expectations to keep both schools on top.
“It’s hard to stay there based on the CCRPI system,” he said, referring to the College and Career Readiness Performance Index. “They both were recognized with one of their highest CCRPI scores in the school’s history.”
This is Wilson’s first time hiring a high school principal since he started serving Floyd County Schools. He said the process would likely take a few weeks.