Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Karen Garza, currently a superintendent in Texas, will likely become the next leader of Fairfax County Public Schools.
A "strategic planner, a systems thinker, a stellar manager, and a highly effective communicator" is how the Fairfax County School Board described Karen Garza, the Texas superintendent leaders announced as their preferred candidate for superintendent Wednesday. Garza, who for the past four years has led the 30,000-student district of Lubbock, Texas, will assume the role pending final negotiations and a board site visit to the Lubbock Independent School District (ISD). She will become the system's first female superintendent as she takes the place of current Superintendent Jack Dale, who retires June 30. Garza was selected from 47 applicants for the position, and came out ahead of the 18 other candidates who were interviewed largely because…
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Fairfax County school board to talk with next round of candidates in coming weeks as Superintendent Jack Dale prepares to retire.
The Fairfax County School Board will continue to narrow its field of superintendent candidates in the next two weeks as it prepares to name a new system leader by May. At its meeting Thursday night, the school board approved a motion to discuss, consider and interview candidates for the division's superintendent "at one or more undisclosed locations" between April 5 and 19. Outgoing Superintendent Jack Dale announced in 2011 his plans to retire June 30 of this year. Last fall, the board selected Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates — the same consulting firm that found Dale in 2004 — to lead the current search process. While the board has focused more on community engagement in this search than in the one it used to hire Dale, it decided to…
Monday, January 7, 2013
Consultants will be holding four additional community forums to gather input.
The Fairfax County School Board members are offering the community another opportunity to share their thoughts and feedback on the recent draft characteristics for the next FCPS superintendent. Consultants from Hazard, Young, Attea, & Associates (HYA) will have additional forums this month at different locations in Fairfax County: The online survey will also remain available through Jan. 23. Previously, HYA conducted forums to gather feedback from parents and other community members about characteristics they're looking for in their next educational leader. At the School Board meeting Thursday, Dec. 20, HYA presented a draft leadership profile report. After an initial observation of the report, some school board members discussed their …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Superintendent search firm compiles thousands of community responses to online survey about the system's next leader.
A month into Fairfax County's superintendent search community input process, a picture of what Fairfax County Public Schools next leader could look like is taking shape: someone who focuses on visibility and engagement, has a good business sense and can navigate the system through difficult budget seasons. Thousands of residents, staff and administrators have weighed in on the system's strengths and challenges and what characteristics will be key for the next leader of one of the country's largest school systems, Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA)—the search firm hired by the board this fall—told school board members Thursday night. The consultants held 56 sessions with stakeholders to gather input over the past four weeks. Another …
Friday, December 7, 2012
As Fairfax County superintendent search forums continue, parents and staff place value on open, honest communication and a better understanding of budget.
Next summer, the leader of Fairfax County Public Schools could look like this: An educator with a strong economic background and experience in diverse school districts; a visible part of community discussions; someone who demands transparency, and on their own team, also embraces it; someone who could finally one-up the system's counterparts in Montgomery County. That was the picture painted by more than a dozen parents and system employees who met Thursday with Haazard, Young, Attea and Associates, the firm tasked with spearheading the search for a leader to replace Superintendent Jack Dale, who will retire in June. The meeting at the system's headquarters on Gatehouse Road in Falls Church was one of several this week designed to help …
Monday, November 26, 2012
Residents can provide feedback and comments in the search to find a replacement for Superintendent Jack Dale during the forums.
Fairfax County residents will have the opportunity to offer input in the search for a replacement for outgoing Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack Dale at one of six scheduled community forums. Two of the forums will be held at 8115 Gatehouse Road in Falls Church on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. and Friday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. The other forums will be: The forums are organized by Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, the search firm hired by the School Board to find a new superintendent. All Fairfax County residents and FCPS employees are invited to attend the meetings and offer feedback. Additionally, residents can submit their comments through an online survey that will open to all via the FCPS website on Monday, Nov. 26. …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
In meeting with consultants, Fairfax County school board focuses on "two-tiered" engagement strategy to replace Superintendent Jack Dale
The Fairfax County School Board will use a "two-tiered public engagement process" to search for its next superintendent, board members said Monday during their first meeting with search consultants — a move likely to be welcomed by many residents who have said they felt "excluded" and "unheard" during the system's last search for a leader in 2004. Many of those residents carried the issue of how the search for Superintendent Jack Dale was conducted into last fall's school board elections; when asked on the campaign trail, several members now on the board said they would make the upcoming search and selection process more open and inclusive. Though the board's consultants, Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates led that search for Dale about …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A proposed contract for Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates — the same firm that hired FCPS Superintendent Jack Dale in 2004 — comes before the board Thursday.
The Fairfax County School Board is expected to select Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates as the consultants who will help lead the system in the search for its next superintendent. In a vote scheduled for Thursday, the full board will consider a contract for $35,000 for the same firm that found both Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua Starr in 2011 and current Fairfax County Superintendent Jack Dale in 2004. Dale announced last fall his plans to retire in June 2013. The contract also includes additional reimbursement of approved expenses, according to school board documents released Monday. The system received five proposals from search firms after sending a request for proposal for consultant services this summer, according to school…
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
In meeting with Fairfax school board, Maryland officials stress discretion, unity in search for schools chief
On most days, Fairfax and Montgomery County Public Schools are competitors on nearly all fronts, both within the greater Washington area and among the large, elite schools systems across the country. But as Fairfax approaches its first superintendent search in nearly a decade, its Maryland counterpart across the river has also become arguably one of its best resources. On Monday, Montgomery County Board of Education members offered school board members insight into MCPS' recent search for a new schools leader, an eight-month process that concluded last April when it hired Joshua Starr. Fairfax County Superintendent Jack Dale announced last fall he would step down from his post as schools chief when his contract expires in June 2013, …
Lee
5:42 pm on Monday, April 22, 2013
Ugh, "what about the kids?" If I had a penny for every time someone said that... Michael below is correct. I remember this being debated a year or two ago announced his Superintendent Dale announced his retirement and the search was starting. The problem is that many of the applicants are in positions where if it were known they were talking with other systems they'd either be terminated or their… more ›