As community members attended sessions on the next Montgomery County Schools Superintendent, two themes recurred throughout the day: the community wanted transparency in the process of finding the next superintendent, and they wanted that the next superintendent become a member of the community.

The Alabama Association of School Boards is working as a consulting agency to find candidates for the next superintendent, and they wanted to hear from the community about what qualities the next superintendent should possess.

Dr. James Wright of the Alabama Association of School Boards held a series of sessions for different community groups to better understand what the community wanted.

“What we do at these sessions is we give you an opportunity to come and express your opinion and to share with us some of your concerns, some of your expectations about what the next superintendent will have to deal with in the county of Montgomery,” Wright said.

Community members present at the meetings expressed skepticism that the community’s desires would be reflected in the search for the next superintendent.

Throughout the day, recurring themes of not trusting the school board to be transparent emerged.

Wright highlighted the role of the Alabama Association of School Boards as an outside entity in the process.

The day was divided into six sessions with the aim of targeting different audiences: the public, the heads of establishments and the administrators of the MPS, the public officials, the employees of the MPS and finally the general public.

The morning session for the general public was the most attended session. The session for MPS employees had only one participant.

Wright had a list of six questions he posed to attendees throughout the day:

• What will be the biggest challenges for the superintendent?

• What experiences should the next superintendent have?

• What other skills should they have?

• Should the next superintendent have a doctorate?

• Should the next superintendent have superintendent experience?

• What else should the board keep in mind when selecting?

The story continues

While other sessions recommended taking a more holistic view of the next superintendent’s resume, participants in the MPS Administrators and Directors session emphasized that the next superintendent should have a Ph.D. Wright said that in the past he was told a doctorate didn’t matter until the Alabama School Board Association brought in a group of five applicants with a mix of master’s and doctorate degrees, and that the doctorates advance.

Wright wondered aloud about the pay scale decided by the school board and said he wasn’t sure it would be enough for the session for administrators and the principles of the MPS. The salary range that was discussed at the January 8 school board session was $195,000 to $225,000. At the same school board session, the board discussed the salaries of superintendents in other large Alabama school districts, Jefferson County and Birmingham earning over $220,000 and over $230,000, respectively. The Baldwin County superintendent earns over $240,000.

The calendar provided by Wright during the session lists the start date for the next superintendent as June 1.

On February 3, the Alabama Association of School Boards will submit the results of its community engagement surveys to the Montgomery County School Board.

At the last general public meeting, the community expressed concerns about the school board’s willingness to keep the public informed of the superintendent’s research.

Wright encouraged community engagement throughout the process and said interviews for the next superintendent, which will take place between March 28 and April 5, will be public. He told the crowd the board would keep them informed and said the Alabama Association of School Boards had encouraged the school board to hold receptions with the public and superintendent candidates.

Wright also stressed the importance of the community working to be the voice of Montgomery Public Schools.

Jeanne Charbonneau, from the organization FAME (Friends of Arts Magnet Education) spoke about her concerns about small windows when applying for magnet schools as an issue the Superintendent should consider – particularly in the context of families, such as on the military base, not moving to Montgomery because of the schools.

Michelle Summers, who said the child attended traditional Montgomery schools, said while she appreciated many of Charbonneau’s points, she wanted to emphasize that all schools should be considered in the search for the next superintendent.

She emphasized that she wanted a superintendent who was aware of the racial demographics of the city and did not want to gloss over the problems of traditional schools in the district.

“I just want the people we hire for these positions to realize that Montgomery is hallowed ground,” Summers said.

The superintendent position was posted on Wednesday and will close on March 1.

Community members can continue to submit feedback through Friday through the Alabama Association of School Boards’ online survey.

Jemma Stephenson is a children’s and education reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at [email protected] or 334-261-1569.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery Superintendent of Research Allowed Community to Raise Concerns