Durham school board names interim superintendent; why they couldn’t wait
The Durham school board has named Chief Finance Officer Aaron Beaulieu interim superintendent.
Beaulieu, who is currently serving as interim deputy superintendent of operations for the school district, will become interim superintendent of the school district, effective Oct.1.
Current superintendent Bert L’Homme retires Sept. 30.
The school board, which is in the final stages of a superintendent search and will select from four finalists later this month, hoped to avoid naming an interim superintendent before the district’s new leader starts work sometime in early November.
But Chairman Mike Lee said the move became necessary Thursday after Stacey Wilson-Norman, the district’s deputy superintendent of academics, was named chief academic officer for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Lee said L’Homme’s retirement, the loss of Wilson-Norman and former deputy superintendent of operations Hugh Osteen, who formally retired last month, would have left too wide a leadership gap in the weeks before the new superintendent starts work.
“We thought it was important to appoint an interim since Stacey [Wilson-Norman] won’t be there,” Lee said.
The school board is scheduled to interview the four finalists for the superintendent’s post Sept. 23.
Lee said the new superintendent could be named that day or shortly after depending on when contract negotiations conclude.
L’Homme issued a statement early Thursday congratulating Wilson-Norman on her new job.
“Dr. Wilson-Norman has played a vital role in our district’s improvement over the years and has been a trusted colleague as Deputy Superintendent for Academics,” L’Homme said. “I congratulate her on her next step and wish her the very best.”
Wilson-Norman said at a school board work session Thursday that her start date has not been determined.
Greg Childress: 919-419-6645, @gchild6645
This story was originally published September 8, 2017 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Durham school board names interim superintendent; why they couldn’t wait."