Schools

O'Hare Encourages Community Input on New Superintendent

The Board of Education is looking for the new county schools superintendent and is seeking input from community members.

The search is on to find the man or woman who will lead Baltimore County Public Schools after the 12-year-run of current superintendent Joe Hairston ends in June.

On Wednesday morning, the school system announced that it is encouraging community members to share ideas about whom the new superintendent should be.

To that end, BCPS has set up a survey on its website. On Wednesday morning, former school board member and Carney Improvement Association president Margaret O'Hare sent an email to community members encouraging them to participate.

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"Superintendent is a very important job because the future of Baltimore County depends on how well the BCPS education prepares students for life in the 21st century," O'Hare wrote in the email.

"Currently, the students in the system are majority non-Caucasian and increasingly poor. Effective education is dependent on an effective superintendent who understands the importance of a solid, comprehensive Pre-K to 12 curriculum," she said.

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The survey asks users to identify eight items from a list of 25 that would desirable traits for the new superintendent. Choices range from "Be[ing] visible throughout the District and actively engaged in community life," to "Align[ing] budgets, long-range plans, and operational procedures with the District’s vision, mission, and goals."

In addition, the school board will hold three community input forums during January. One of those forums will be held at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at —others are planned for  and Woodlawn High School at 6 p.m. Jan. 19.

Patch first .

The school board will beginning screening candidates identified through a national search conducted by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates in February. The group has a national reputation for assisting local school boards in finding superintendent candidates.


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