The Harford County Board of Education’s superintendent search advanced this week with a series of private focus groups and public forums to determine what stakeholders want from the school system’s next leader.
The search began in late November with an online survey, which thus far has garnered over 400 responses, said Ryan Ray, corporate director of Ray & Associates, Inc. The Iowa-based education executive search firm is under a $7,500 contract with Board for the information-gathering phase only. The firm is also conducting superintendent searches for Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County public schools, and conducted the superintendent search last year in Howard County Public Schools.
The private focus groups held Wednesday and Thursday in Harford County were by Board invitation only, Ray said, with slots for 15 participants each. The groups included students, teachers, administrators, support staff, elected officials, parents, and business and community leaders.
Ray declined to characterize the feedback from the focus groups, except to say that participants were vocal, and talked about diversity within the county, and strong community support for the public schools.
Turnout for the focus groups was good overall, Ray said, although sources said the turnout among non-school stakeholder groups ranged between 5 – 10 participants. Turnout at the public forums was nearly non-existent. “If things are running smoothly, not a lot of people turn out,” Ray said. He added that the availability of the online survey was also a likely factor and the 400-plus survey responses demonstrated community involvement.
However, at the first of three public forums held Wednesday night, substitute teacher Kyle Dixon was the sole participant. Undaunted, Ray and his colleague, Michael Glascoe, ran through the list of questions given to all stakeholders and Dixon obliged with responses that Ray later said were consistent with what he’d heard from the focus groups.
Dixon was first given a paper copy of the online survey, which asks participants to select ten characteristics from a list of 33 that are most important in a selecting a candidate. Next, came a series of open-ended questions.
In response to questions about the strengths of the county and school system, Dixon said that the area was diverse, geographically well-situated, and the school system had strong extra-curricular and magnet school programs, plus a dedicated staff. As for the qualities he’d like to see in the next superintendent, Dixon said he or she should put students first, and be a regular presence in the schools, rather than remain isolated in central office. An open door policy, listening to stakeholders, and being able to make the hard decisions that benefit students is also key, he said.
Asked about management style, Dixon said he was looking for someone who didn’t micromanage, but made sure things got done. Among the critical issues facing Harford County Public Schools, Dixon said were “navigating the politics”, the budget, employee pay.
Turnout doubled at the public forum held Thursday morning in Bel Air with two participants who each echoed many of the same themes noted by Dixon. Pylesville resident Ruth Cobb said she also wanted a candidate with experience in the classroom who could work with legislators and union leaders and would consider unpopular options such as possibly closing schools with low enrollment to save money.
Recent Towson University graduate Jessica Blake said she student-taught in Harford County Public Schools and thought the next superintendent should be a trustworthy decision maker with a clear vision and the ability to communicate. Administrative experience was important, she said, along with experience in the challenges of the new the Common Core curriculum: “They should know what the teachers are dealing with,” she said.
Finally, two more participants Thursday evening in Havre de Grace brought the total turnout for the public forums to five. Aberdeen High School teacher Lisa Saunders said that Harford County was relatively large, yet maintained a close-knit feel. Pastor Baron Young said that he valued the school system’s cultural proficiency council. Both Saunders and Young cited the budget as a critical issue, which Ray & Associates representative Michael Glascoe said was a concern mentioned by every group over the past two days.
Pastor Young said he wanted a superintendent from the education ranks in Harford County, and someone who could relate to staff at all levels, from the custodian to the school board. Interim Superintendent Barbara Canavan appeared to fit that description, he said, but he didn’t know if she was considering the job. Young was the only public forum participant to name a candidate when Ray & Associates asked for specific recommendations.
Interim Superintendent Canavan, a former longtime principal at Southampton Middle School and former executive director of middle school performance, has said that she needs to focus on the needs of the system, according to HCPS spokeswoman Teri Kranefeld. Canavan will make a decision and announcement “when appropriate,” Kranefeld said. The permanent job carries a four-year term beginning July 1, 2014.
Next Steps
Ray, son of the company founder and coincidentally a former William S. James “Jaguar”, said on Wednesday that the firm would forward all feedback to the Board, which would decide next steps that could include a national search. In the meantime, the online survey will be available through 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 10.
Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W5HQGD2
Stop wasting money. Barb Canavan is the right person for the job! No other candidates would even be close.
Are you sure she even wants the job? She has been working for 40+ years. Might she want to retire? Second how do you know that she is the best if you don’t look at a bigger pool of people. If we did this all the time. We would have had some real crappy Superintendents!
I don’t think the Harford County BOE has taken advantage of lessons learned from previous mistakes. Perhaps those of us who have lived here for a long time recall the time when we seemed to be steadily importing our superintendants from Michigan. As a result, The school system in Harford County lost two very talented internal candidates who went on to be highly successful superintendants in other jurisdictions, while we were left with duds, one that we had to pay, with tax payer money, to break his contract. Its one thing to learn from our mistakes, but when we just keep repeating them, that is a serious problem. There needs to be greater accountability from the BOE
A few other former HCPS higher ups took higher positions in different school districts and didn’t work out so well. Not saying that Canavan is not the best person for the job but the BOE has a responsibility to find the best person to be the next permanent superintendent. That search should include other potential candidates.
There will be much more accountability for the BOE when at the next election when six members will be determined by the voters with the other three still appointed by the next governor.
Maybe, but I have serious doubts unless/until all 9 board members are selected by vote versus political appointment. With a simple quorum you could still end up with a majority of appointed members if a few of the other members are absent. And even then, I’m not sure accountability will improve much. Seems to me than once comfortable in office, they seem to vote in ways that don’t always reflect the needs and interests of those they were elected to represent. Call me cynical…I think I may have to change my screen name.
From personal experience, I am hoping that for the sake of the community, we look further then Canavan. I had a child at South Hampton while she was in charge. As a volunteer who has always been involved in my kid schools, the only time I ever saw her was at special events such as parents night, graduations and such. I honestly felt Mrs Kim Marine, an assistant principal at the time, ws running that school.
Recently, I had a serious concern at my son’s school. I had put her on cc on one letter I wrote and then wrote to her personally a week later. I feel very strongly that as an acting superintendent her job is to repond to the concerns of parents and the community. I know I was not the only person who wrote about this concern. She has completely ignored us and has not even given any kind of response, whether phone or email. In my opinion, that is not the behavior that I want or expect from anyone in charge of my school system. Total disrespect for an entire community!
With winter weather, more and more mothers have expressed great emotional grief over their students ability to walk on surfaces covered with snow, or ice.
I propose we work on a common sense solution, that starts with all students required to wear helmets when outdoors. This common sense law of safety will not only decrease personal injury from uncoordinated walking in snow, or ice, it will create jobs.
I propose every guardian of students be mandated to take at least a 10 hour instructional course on helmet safety at a cost of no less than 100 dollars, instructed by only certified helmet instructors (New jobs).
I also believe the costs of helmets should be no less than 100 dollars, to also include a fee of no less than 100 dollars for a helmet operators license.
This is safety for the students, lets make it happen.