By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
At a public forum on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools superintendent search on Tuesday, local community leaders and students told school board members they’d like to see at the helm of the district an accessible superintendent who will work to close the minority achievement gap.
The board officially launched the search in October when board members voted to hire the N.C. School Board Association as the district’s superintendent search agency. The move followed Superintendent Neil Pedersen’s July announcement that he would retire next June.
Michelle Laws, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, said that the first priority of the new superintendent should be to work toward closing the minority achievement gap.
“I would suggest that we look for someone who genuinely has demonstrated that they care,†she said, adding that the candidate should be committed to “face those challenging issues that he or she will no doubt face from day one.â€
Ted Parrish, a former school board member, said he wants to hear from the new superintendent what he or she will do to deal with the issue of the achievement gap.
“Why is it that we are in a city with all the resources … and this chronic problem of the gap is still here?†he asked. “I’m simply saying we’re not doing all we can. We have to do that. We have to be a model for the rest of the state and the nation. So what is going to be done by this new superintendent to arrive at where we should’ve been a long time ago?â€
A number of high school students spoke at the forum, urging board members to consider candidates who will be accessible to students and teachers.
Young-Eun Hyun, a senior at East Chapel Hill High School and president of the Chapel Hill Youth Council, said that at the council’s youth summit earlier this year students discussed the need for more input on school policy and budget decisions.
“We think that it’d be a really great opportunity if the next superintendent would be willing to communicate a lot … with the students and be more readily accessible and available for students’ comments and concerns,†she said.
Andrew Dowdy, a senior at East Chapel Hill High and correspondence secretary for the Chapel Hill Youth Council, said he would like to have a superintendent who understands the importance of the high school academies, which are curriculums dedicated to arts, international studies, social justice and technology.
“I’ve seen [the academy] break the achievement gap in certain students. It gives students the opportunity to rise up,†he said. “I think it’s time that we have a superintendent that isn’t afraid to break the lines that divide the student body.â€
Oskar Marzalek, a student at Chapel Hill High School, said he feels lucky to have had opportunities in school to take advanced courses and receive “the best of what Chapel Hill has to offer,†but that all students should have similar access.
“I’m very grateful that I have had them, but I think that they can be used very effectively, given the staff that we have and the resources that we do have,†he said. “A superintendent should be able to harness what we already have and do more with that.â€
Board members have said they would like to appoint a new superintendent by April.
The board will hold another public forum on the superintendent search on Dec. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. at East Chapel Hill High School.
The public may also submit input regarding the search through a community survey, available online at surveymonkey.com/s/Y9MTLJZ. Paper copies of the survey are available in all school offices and public libraries and at various community centers. For more information, visit the superintendent search website under the Quick Links section at chccs.k12.nc.us