The final three candidates for Anne Arundel County schools superintendent will be announced this morning ahead of next week?s in-person interviews. While the public so far knows little about the people eligible to become the next schools chief, many say that person will have his or her hands full from the start.
“Just this county being the 41st largest in the country shows the diversity that the new superintendent will have to handle,” said Tricia Johnson, School Board vice president.
Among the major issues the new superintendent will be asked to address during the first few months on the job are:
» The recent shakeup at the Chesapeake Science Pointe Charter School that resulted in the removal of the school?s director.
» The ongoing effort to comply with a set of goals to bring parity to black students.
» Proposals for redistricting and new school facilities.
The new superintendent will also be asked to make some quick decisions about controversial changes to high school schedules and ways to increase parental involvement in middle and high schools.
“With the new superintendent coming in, people are going to be concerned about whether he?s going to change everything,” said Debbie Ritchie, president of the Anne Arundel County Council of Parent Teacher Associations.
The previous superintendent, Eric Smith, resigned suddenly last fall. Smith?s administration, the first to be hired from outside the district, began around the same time the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act took effect. Ritchie said some parents and school officials may be wary of the transition to a new schools chief after that experience.
The School Board has already begun revisions to the district?s policy about qualifications for the superintendent, and Johnson said the board plans to suggest more specific criteria for the position including communication skills and community involvement. A new superintendent must be hired by July 1, the beginning of the district?s new fiscal year.
