Hamilton County school board wraps up its first round of superintendent interviews

Staff photo by Angela Lewis Foster School board members study information packets during their meeting Thursday, September 15, 2016 at the Hamilton County Department of Education.
Staff photo by Angela Lewis Foster School board members study information packets during their meeting Thursday, September 15, 2016 at the Hamilton County Department of Education.

The Hamilton County school board interviewed the last three superintendent candidates Monday, and plan to select five finalists from the list of eight names on Thursday.

On Monday night, the board interviewed Hamilton County Schools Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly, along with Jack Elsey Jr. and Timothy Gadson III.

The first videoconference interview was with Elsey, chief schools officer for the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan.

Elsey said student achievement is a significant hurdle facing Hamilton County Schools, made evident by the state planning to intervene in some of the lowest-performing schools and Signal Mountain considering starting its own school district. Not everyone in Hamilton County believes the district is serving their kids well, he added.

Fast facts on the candidates

Jack Elsey Jr.Job: chief schools officer for the Education Achievement Authority of MichiganHighest level of education: Masters in education leadership from The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, 2012Kirk KellyJob: Interim superintendent of Hamilton County SchoolsHighest level of education: Doctorate in educational administration from Tennessee State University, 1990Timothy Gadson IIIJob: Superintendent designee and executive director of curriculum and schools for Robbinsdale Area SchoolsHighest level of education: Doctorate in higher education administration and curriculum and instruction from Washington State University, 1997

"That is 100 percent a fixable problem," Elsey said. "I've done it before."

Elsey said working to gain community trust and boost outcomes takes hard work, but is possible.

During his interview he emphasized the importance of transparency, using data to drive instruction and the need to prioritize the retention and development of excellent teachers.

When asked about the importance of diversity, Elsey said he thinks it's "vitally important" that students see teachers and leaders that look like themselves.

"I also think that looks like setting some goals around diversity," he said. "It matters, and the research shows it matters."

Elsey previously served as the chief officer of innovation and incubation for Chicago Public Schools, and was the managing director of public affairs and school relations for Teach for America in New York City from 2005 to 2011.

Kelly was the second candidate to interview, via video conference from his office, despite the fact it was just a room away from where the board members sat looking at him on a screen.

Kelly has been serving as the interim superintendent since last April, and is the only internal candidate to apply for the permanent position. Kelly told the board he took the interim position because he felt the need to step up and lead the district after Rick Smith resigned in March 2016 from the post.

In the interim position, Kelly said he has made the system a better place, and if selected as the permanent leader, he will be able to continue implementing the district's strategic plan with his leadership team.

When asked about the lack of trust some in the community have of the school district, Kelly said he thinks the district is addressing misconceptions, adding there is nothing to hide.

"What we are trying to do is be open and communicating with all aspects of the community to make sure that [a negative perception] goes away," he said.

Kelly said he hopes to continue working as superintendent to create a great culture in every school, and create an environment that makes teachers want to stay. He said he'll continue to work to provide teachers with a more competitive salary.

"We are looking to retain more of the people we start off with," he said, adding that the district will start giving exit surveys to teachers leaving the district.

Some members of the school board advocated for hiring Kelly for the permanent position in October, before the board ultimately decided to hire the search firm and conduct a national search.

The last candidate the board interviewed was Gadson, superintendent designee and executive director of curriculum and schools for Robbinsdale Area Schools, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minn.

Throughout the interview, Gadson emphasized his experience turning around low-performing schools, and said if named superintendent he'd make improving the county's lowest-performing schools his top priority.

"I would take personal responsibility for those schools," he said.

If named superintendent, Gadson said he would tell the state about his track record improving low-performing schools and ask it to delay plans to intervene, giving him a chance to transform the schools with a team from Hamilton County.

Gadson talked about the need to have high expectations in all schools, and then provide a high level of support to help students meet the standards.

When asked about serving students with disabilities, Gadson said his background is in special education and he believes all students should leave school ready for college, career or life. He said the district needs to ensure that students with disabilities are receiving appropriate, standards-based instruction, and students should be placed in the least-restrictive environment appropriate for them.

In closing, Gadson told the board it has an important decision to make in selecting the district's next leader, but it needs to answer another question first.

"Is it time for Hamilton County to go a different direction under new leadership or maintain the status quo?" he asked the board.

If the district is ready for a change, Gadson said, he is who the board should name superintendent.

"I'm the innovative leader, the transformational leader you need," he said. "This is a defining moment in your history and you have to make the right decision; it's so critical."

Before working in Robbinsdale, Gadson worked as the associate superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools from 2014 to 2016. He oversaw one of the high schools involved in the district's grading controversies, but there were no allegations of wrongdoing brought against him.

He was a finalist in the Birmingham City Schools search in Alabama in April, and then removed himself from consideration, citing the "political climate" of the search. He also applied for Knox County Schools search, but was not named a finalist.

Last week, the board interviewed Arthur Wayne Johnson, Clifford Davis and Bryan Johnson, and on May 8 the board interviewed Natasha Baker and Stuart Greenberg.

It's been 14 months since the district's previous superintendent stepped down. The five finalists the board will select during a public meeting Thursday will each visit on a different day between June 5 and June 9 for in-person interviews. During each visit, the finalists will have another interview with the full board and get the opportunity to talk one-on-one with board members. The board previously decided that during the in-person visits, each finalist will visit two schools and meet with principals, teachers, parents, students and central office staff. The finalists also will spend time with elected officials and advocacy groups.

Board members plan to meet in the coming days to nail down details about those visits.

The board is hoping to vote on a permanent superintendent during its June 15 meeting.

Contact staff writer Kendi A. Rainwater at krainwater@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @kendi_and.

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