Three finalists for the superintendency of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will visit the district April 11-12 to meet with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, CMS staff and the community.
The finalists, whose names will be disclosed on April 9, will meet with principals and staff, and tour schools the morning of April 11. Public meetings have been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon around Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, concluding with a meeting at Northwest School of the Arts for parents, students and staff. Media interviews with each candidate have also been scheduled that afternoon.
“A quality public education is the bedrock of a thriving community. Education is an economic driver that is the key to Mecklenburg County’s continued prosperity. A great public school system is led by a leader with vision and commitment to the success of the next generation. Our next superintendent will be the board and the community’s partner in producing graduates who are career and college ready,” said Ericka Ellis-Stewart, who chairs the nine-member Board of Education. “We want everyone – the public, our families and our employees – to take part in this critical part of the search process, so we are making the candidates available in a variety of locations and forums.”
The candidates will meet with principals, CMS staff and students during visits to Mallard Creek High, Sedgefield Middle and Nathaniel Alexander Elementary between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11. These sessions are not open to the public or the media.
On the afternoon of April 11, each finalist will attend one session at each of four sites (see link for details) to answer questions during panel discussions. The panels will be made up of community members chosen by the Board of Education. Panelists will submit their own questions and also ask those supplied by the public. The public can submit questions by sending a direct message to @CMS_Schools on Twitter, or by sending a message to Facebook.com/CharlotteMecklenburgSchools. The deadline for submitting questions is noon on April 10. Community members can also check for updates that will be tweeted live on April 11 throughout the day by following the hashtag #CMSSuptSearch.
The panel-discussion sessions will be held from 1 p.m.-2:15 p.m., 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (parish hall), the meeting chamber in the Government Center and Francis Auditorium in the main library on Sixth Street. The last session, which will include all three candidates, will be held at Northwest School of the Arts from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. To see the complete schedule, click here.
Media interviews with each candidate will be scheduled at 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. in room CH 18 at the Government Center.
On Thursday, April 12, the candidates will participate in their last school tours and meeting with CMS principals in the morning before attending an invitation-only lunch with area education officials and elected representatives. After lunch, the Board of Education will conduct interviews with each candidate in closed sessions. There will be no media opportunities on April 12.
The Board of Education is expected to announce the new superintendent by early May.
