Weigh in on the next Wake County schools superintendent
When Jim Merrill was chosen as superintendent of Wake County schools four-plus years ago, he was part of a group of finalists who appeared before community groups. That was a productive way for the school board to reach out and help make people comfortable with the choice.
But the world of social media has gone forward with lightening speed since then, and now the board is inviting even more comment from the public through a survey people can take here.
Those who choose to take it will have their answers, which will be anonymous, released to the public. The deadline for the survey is Jan. 17, and applications for the superintendent’s job will be accepted until Jan. 30.
Here’s what Wake system officials want to know, in part: What are the strengths of the system? What skills are needed in a superintendent? What personal traits and qualifications should a superintendent have?
Obviously, the board will have to be savvy about qualifications of which it needs to be aware that might not come up in a survey. Experience and a strong educational background are of course paramount, but board members need to look for political savvy given the sometimes tricky turf a superintendent has to negotiate with his or her own board when it comes to budgeting, and when the need arises for the superintendent of the state’s largest system to interact with state legislators.
In other words, applicants should be pretty much perfect. OK, OK. Close to perfect.
This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Weigh in on the next Wake County schools superintendent."