A Message from Margaret White, Area Superintendent, Northwest Learning Community
August 14, 2017
Dear Birmingham Falls Parents and Staff,
This letter is meant to provide you with an update on the principal selection process. The Principal Selection Survey closed Friday evening and we received over 160 responses. Thank you to those of you who took time to complete this survey. Parent and Staff Focus Groups were conducted last week, as well, to gain further insights into the unique needs and skill set needed for the next principal at Birmingham Falls. Areas discussed with each focus group included strategic leadership, instructional leadership, cultural leadership, human resources, organizational management, and parent/community partnerships. We will use all this valuable information gathered to select the most qualified candidates to proceed to a school level interview. Candidates will be interviewed on the competencies identified as the most critical to meet the unique needs of your school. All candidates selected to interview must have successfully completed the Principal Pool Selection Process for our district.
The School Governance Council will select a Principal Selection Committee. Information on this process from the School Governance Handbook is in italics below:
SGC Principal Selection Committee
The SGC Principal Selection Committee will be a Standing Committee of the SGC, selected at the beginning of the fiscal year, and convened on an ad hoc basis once a vacancy has been determined. The SGC Principal Selection Committee will be comprised of four SGC members from the current SGC membership, including the SGC Chair (or his/her designee). The SGC members to serve on the Committee will be nominated by the SGC and approved by the SGC. The Committee will also include the Area Superintendent, the HR Director, the Area Executive Director, and up to three additional members of the school community, as determined and appointed by the Area Superintendent based on their specific ability to provide valuable input into the selection process (for example, members of the P.T.A., school staff, and/or students).
As the delegated authority for the SGC, the SGC Principal Selection Committee will formulate the recommendation for the preferred principal candidate(s) to provide to the Superintendent on behalf of the SGC. The SGC will not ratify or vote to approve the Committee's recommendation of the preferred
candidate as only a portion of the SGC will be present in interviews and permitted access to confidential, legally protected applicant information.
FCS and the Fulton Board of Education ultimately retain the responsibility for the hiring and management of all personnel, including the Principal. The SGC Principal Selection Committee will support the Area Superintendent in assessing candidates against the School Profile and recommending the preferred candidate to the Superintendent. The SGC is not responsible for nor should become involved in recruitment efforts for candidates. The SGC Principal Selection Committee will receive training and guidance on the legal requirements for interviewing and selecting candidates. Committee members must adhere to applicable confidentiality requirements regarding applicant information.
Candidate interviews will be held on September 5, 2017. If a recommendation is made to the Superintendent for consideration, the Superintendent would then interview the principal candidate. Should the Superintendent recommend the candidate to the Board of Education, they would then vote to approve this recommendation at the September 12th Board Work Session. The official start date of the principal would be determined once approved.
Thank you for your continued support of Birmingham Falls!