At the 12/17/2014 School Board meeting, the board hired PROACT to provide superintendent search services. The question now up for debate is exactly what services PROACT will provide and what part the community will play in the superintendent selection.
DeKalb’s Parent Councils United (PCU) released a statement recommending a Candidate Selection Committee saying, “Please consider inviting [these community leaders] to your work session and including them in your deliberations.”
State Representative Scott Holcomb echoed PCU’s sentiments saying, “[PCU] is recommending that the BOE appoint a Candidate Selection Committee, comprised of recognized community leaders. Doing so would indicate that DeKalb County is ready to move ahead using best search practices by partnering with key stakeholders. ”
Lee May, Interim Chief Executive Officer DeKalb County, spoke to the board at public comments and yesterday sent this letter to the DeKalb Schools Board and administration.
Interim Chief Executive Officer DeKalb County
Lee May
January 13, 2015
To: Dr. Melvin Johnson, Chairman
CC: James McMahan, Stan Jester, Marshall Orson, Dr. Michael Erwin, Vickie Turner, Dr. Joyce Morley; Board Members and Michael Thurmond, Superintendent
RE: Superintendent Search
Dear DeKalb Board of Education,
I pray all is well as you receive this message. I want to applaud and thank you for your leadership and commitment to our DeKalb County scholars as you embark on the selection process for the new DeKalb County School Superintendent. This decision will help determine the future and quality of education in DeKalb for decades to come. As CEO and a member of the Governing Authority, I am equally as concerned about education in our County. The quality of our school system has everything to do with the quality of life in our dear county.
I believe the process of this selection is also critical in the ultimate decision you will make. I believe broad public input into the process will help with community support of your ultimate candidate.
With that being said, I am offering my recommendation concerning the process and external participation in this process.
I recommend the creation of a selection committee that would interview the list of candidates offered by PROACT. The selection committee would then forward to the Board of Education a short list of 3 candidates to consider for a final selection.
The selection committee would consist of 14 members and be comprised of the following:
2 Board of Education members
1 Superintendent Michael Thurmond
1 DeKalb County CEO
1 DeKalb County Board of Commissioner
1 DeKalb Chamber of Commerce member
1 DeKalb Development Authority member
1 DeKalb State Representative
1 DeKalb State Senator
1 DeKalb PTSA member
1 ODE member
1 NAACP member
1 Leadership DeKalb member
1 Georgia Association of Educators member
This is a watershed moment in our county’s history and the decision we make today will have an impact for years to come. I thank you for your consideration of this proposal. This proposal allows for a broader base of input and support in the selection of this critical position.
Yours in service,
Lee May
Interim CEO, DeKalb County Government
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”