More than 40 people show interest in Fayette Supt. job

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – More than 40 people have already expressed an interest in becoming the next Superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools, which is three times the number of candidates the district had four years ago, according to John Price, Fayette County Board of Education Chair.

At a meeting Monday afternoon, the board of education approved a candidate profile as well as a search timeline.  No more applications will be accepted after May 15, 2015.  The school board is scheduled to begin deliberating to select a new superintendent on June 11, 2015. 

The first meeting of the superintendent screening committee is scheduled for April 14, 2015. 

Below is a letter sent out Monday from Board of Education Chair, John Price:

Dear FCPS Families:

More than 40 people have already expressed an interest in becoming the next Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent, according to an update received today from PROACT Search, the firm hired to help recruit our next schools chief.  That’s three times the number of candidates we had four years ago, before we’ve even posted a formal application!

The Fayette County Board of Education met this afternoon to take the next steps in the search for a new superintendent.  We approved a candidate profile based on the input from thousands of community members through surveys and focus group discussions, as well as a timeline to guide the effort.

The next superintendent for the Fayette County Public School must be action-driven, with the ability to spur positive change in the district’s most critical areas —student achievement, communication and equity in all aspects of education. Candidates should be passionate about and experienced in consistently closing achievement gaps, communicating openly, providing support to classroom staff and allocating resources across the student population.

The entire five page position profile approved by the Fayette County Board of Education is attached to this email, but our requirements state that a successful candidate will:

 

• Put children at the center of every decision he or she makes.
• Be an educational leader with documented results of consistently improving achievement for all students.
• Have a proven track record of successful operational management and strategic improvement practices.
• Be a strong communicator with the ability to share the district’s goals and actions in a thoughtful, positive way.
• Ensure that resources are distributed equitably among student populations.
• Find the balance between serving low-performing and high-performing students from diverse backgrounds in both instances, supporting programs and services to benefit both populations.
• Implement the vision of the Board of Education.
• Be a proactive leader, focused on addressing accountability, student achievement gaps and equity.
• Support a culture of continuous improvement.
• Rebuild trust and strengthen relationships with families and employees.
• Conduct his or her work in an open and transparent manner.
• Be a leader who can balance the needs of the community with the fiscal realities of the district.
• See the value in effective classroom employees and support their efforts to serve every student.
• Involve all community members in important education and district discussions, inviting differing opinions and building consensus.
• Respect all people in the community, from constituents and families to employees and students.
• Promote a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout all district operational, management and hiring practices.
• Inspire administrators and employees to collaborate and solve problems creatively.
• Become the face of the district in the community and be visible throughout the community.
• Work collaboratively with the Board to address all issues that affect the system, its students, employees and constituents.
• Formally and informally update the Board on upcoming district activities, awards and challenges.

PROACT Search reiterated its commitment today to finding candidates who possess the attributes we’re looking for here in Fayette County.  In our conversation this afternoon we underscored the importance of having a diverse, highly qualified applicant pool.  We learned that in its most recent search, for a school superintendent in DeKalb County, Georgia, PROACT brought forth a slate of 120 candidates, with 67% of the applicants representing diverse backgrounds.

The school board also approved a timeline for our search today.  Recruitment will begin immediately, and then:

• May 15: Application window closes.
• May 21: Screening Committee begins reviewing candidates.
• May 27: Screening Committee presents its top applicants to the school board.
• May 27: Search firm presents its top applicants to the school board.
• May 27: School board identifies candidates for first round of interviews.
• June 1, 2, 3: School board interviews semi-finalists via internet.
• June 3 to 7: School board selects top three candidates and makes those names public.
• June 8, 9, 10: Full-day public interviews with finalists.
• June 11: School board deliberation begins to select new superintendent, with announcement to follow when complete.

The first meeting of the screening committee will be on April 14, to begin developing a plan for their work help ensure that the next superintendent of the Fayette County Public Schools is a transformational leader who will take our district to new heights.  Our students, employees, families and community deserve the very best!

Sincerely,

John Price

Fayette County Board of Education Chair