Alexandria’s school board meets Wednesday to lay ground rules for next year’s search for a new superintendent, but the incumbent’s ouster might make its search more difficult.
In a much-debated decision, the board voted 5-4 in May not to extend the contract of Superintendent Rebecca Perry, who has held the position since 2001. Perry’s contract expires in June 2008.
“Finding a top-notch superintendent willing to work with an untransparent board will be challenging,” board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera told The Examiner on Monday.
Rivera was one of the four members who voted against seeking a replacement for Perry. She and other members also said they were excluded from discussions relating to Perry’s contract. The vote was taken with limited warning, and there was no public hearing before the vote.
Superintendent searches usually look nationwide, though no decisions have been made yet, said school board Chairman Arthur Peabody Jr. Search firms or the Virginia School Board Association could be used in the search, Peabody said. He estimated that it could cost $50,000 to $60,000.
The board also will spend $10,000 to $12,000 on a facilitator. That individual will begin working with the board in June, Peabody said, to build teamwork and help the board work better together.
“I thought it would be helpful to us,” Peabody said. “There have been a lot of disagreements.”
Perry has been a subject of controversy since 2004, when she was convicted of driving while intoxicated. When their terms expired, eight of the nine-member board who voted to keep her on the job stepped down from office in 2006. Several of the current board members spoke out against retaining her on the campaign trail.
Supporters praise Perry for increasing minority achievement. When she came to the school system, two of Alexandria’s 16 public schools were accredited. Six years later, 14 of the schools are accredited.
The school board’s work session is open to the public. It will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 2000 N. Beauregard St.
