Our principal has announced her retirement, and the rumors are floating around who will be our next principal. My thoughts are who should have input in this decision? Do all stakeholders, meaning, teachers, parents and students deserve the right to have input on this decision? Or should the Superintendent make the decision based on the information he gathers from his people.
In interviewing thousands of people during the course of my lifetime, I realize that you often miss on your selections. There are people who come across well in interviews that might not be as good as you think and that can also work in reverse. So it is hard for me to think that the stakeholders in an interview forum will make the best selection.
On the flip side of the coin, nobody knows better than the stakeholders, what the school needs to lead them in the future. So having stakeholders during the interview process might allow the final decision makers insight into what is needed in the building.
Your thoughts. As stakeholders in the education process do you want a seat at the table when deciding a new principal.
Ultimately we need a principal who will run our strengths and grow our weaknesses (I think that's how you said it) as a school and as a student and faculty team. The principal will be coming in in the middle of school renovation efforts and a period of a lot of changes for Dulaney.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big supporter of as much input from as many sources as possible in the design making decisions. Having student input couldn't hurt and could generate some quality discussions. The next principal will play a key role in directing the future of our school. You need student input, parent input and teacher input because everyone sees things from different angles and has perspective on qualities that the future principal of Dulaney should have.
While the discussion is an important part of the process, it is the job of the Superintendent to take what the Dulaney community has to say into consideration when he makes his decision.
No person in the county, no matter high up, knows what the Dulaney community needs in a principal better than the Dulaney community of teachers, faculty, parents and students. No principal will be perfect, but when they come into the school year with a knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses, genuinely care about the students, actively show school pride, and are supportive to the teachers and faculty they are already off to a great start. As I'm sure the new principal will be come fall.
In a nutshell: the more voices the better for the superintendent to make his decision.
thanks for taking the time to respond. If the new leader can inspire all the stakeholders the future for Dulaney will be great.
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