RALEIGH -- A Wake County school board committee recommended today eliminating local requirements that they conduct an internal search first for a new superintendent and that the person have experience as an educator.
The recommended policy changes come as the school board is looking to find a replacement for Del Burns, who resigned as superintendent over his disagreements with the new board majority.
Members of the board majority have talked about conducting a national search while groups that back them have also urged Wake to consider bringing in a non-educator. But board members said today that the changes shouldnt be interpreted to mean theyre not considering hiring an internal applicant to replace Burns or that theyre looking to bring in a person who doesnt have education experience.
The change is to not eliminate any people, said school board member Debra Goldman, chairwoman of the boards policy committee. We want to open this up to all the best qualified candidates.
Donna Hargens, the districts chief academic officer, has been serving as interim superintendent. The board majority had voted in March to put Burns on paid administrative leave through his June 30 resignation date because of the negative public comments he had made during interviews with the media.
Burns had opposed the new majoritys efforts to end the socioeconomic diversity policy.
The board will vote Tuesday on the changes to the policy for employing a superintendent.
The board will also vote Tuesday on the recommendation to hire Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search firm, to conduct the search.
Current board policy says that Wake must first interview internal applicants before deciding to conduct a national search. Internal searches were used to hire the last two superintendents.
Board policy also says that the superintendent must have had three years experience in school work over the past 10 years to be hired.
Goldman said both requirements go beyond whats required in state law, which allows school districts to hire non-educators to be superintendents.
Goldman said current board policy would also prevent an educator who might not have worked in the field for the past decade from being eligible for the job.
