Wake has a quick timeline for hiring a new superintendent. Here’s what may slow it down.
Wake County school board members hope to select a new superintendent by the end of the school year but say that could change depending on how the search goes.
The Wake school board approved a search timeline on Friday that calls for announcing and introducing the new superintendent by June 30 to coincide with the retirement of Superintendent Catty Moore. Board members said that they consider the dates on the timeline to be targets that could change based on circumstances.
“It’s going to depend on the number of applications we get, the quality of the candidates,” said school board chair Lindsay Mahaffey. “I think we’ve just learned that we need to be flexible. Our employment and our announcement are all TBD, so this is not set in stone.”
The school board is responding to Moore announcing last month that she will retire as of July 1, ending five years of service as superintendent of North Carolina’s largest district.
If Wake hires an external candidate, the new superintendent likely won’t start July 1 because of the need to give their current employer 60 to 90 days notice. In that situation, the school board would appoint an interim superintendent.
The North Carolina School Boards Association will begin advertising the vacancy on Monday. Applications will be due April 24.
The school board hired NCSBA to be its search firm for $21,000, plus expenses.
NCSBA will collect the applications, conduct internet and social media searches of the candidates, and do reference, criminal, credit and background checks of the finalists.
Feedback sought
Board members said they want to get public and school employee feedback to help determine who they hire as superintendent. School employees and the public will have a chance to speak out at public meetings and fill out an anonymous online survey ranking what they want in a new superintendent.
For instance, survey questions ask how important respondents think it should be for the superintendent to have been a teacher or to have had leadership experience outside of education. Aside from the brief tenure of retired Army Gen. Tony Tata, Wake historically has hired educators to be superintendents.
The board amended the surveys on Friday to change a question asking respondents how important it is for them that the new superintendent “supports firm discipline in schools.” The revised wording asks how important it is for them the superintendent “supports a balanced and broad spectrum of approaches to discipline.”
The school board will hold a public hearing on March 28. Another hearing will be scheduled in April at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA.
Board members said they want to make sure that the search process is done right.
“I would rather take this process slow so we’re not back in this vote two years, two months or at least in my term hiring another superintendent because we have rushed this process,” said board member Tyler Swanson.
‘Understanding equity’
The vacancy announcement lists several things that candidates must demonstrate success and ability in, including “understanding equity factors and the influence of equity on educational outcomes.”
In November, the school board passed an equity policy that calls for addressing disparities, reflecting on biases and recognizing the voices of marginalized groups. The policy says Wake will take steps like implementing diverse instructional materials, recruiting a more diverse workforce and questioning practices that lead to inequity.
Critics of the equity policy have accused Wake of focusing more on political correctness than on educating students.
Other qualities sought in a new superintendent include having visionary education leadership and success in maintaining a safe and orderly school environment.
“There are certain things we need to center and eliminate people who don’t necessarily want to be in a progressive district that values diversity,” said board member Tara Waters.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Wake has a quick timeline for hiring a new superintendent. Here’s what may slow it down.."
