Longevity, Academics Top Qualities Sought in PGCPS Chief

After two town hall "listening sessions", the chair of the three-person committee charged with providing County Executive Rushern Baker recommendations for the next head of the Prince George's County Public Schools said that longevity appears to be the top priority sought after by county residents. 

"The whole issue of longevity and stability, someone who's going to commit to Prince George's schools and the county for a long time," was one of the most common concerns voiced by participants in the two open forums held by the search committee so far, said Dr. Charlene Dukes, chair of the Prince Geogre's County Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Search Committee.

"People could not necessarily define what a long time is, but they could certainly understand that we have had a lot of superintendents in a very short amount of time," said Dukes in an interview following a Monday-evening telephone town hall forum hosted by the search committee and moderated by Scott Peterson, spokesperson for Baker. 

More than 2,000 people called into Monday's conference call-style open forum. Dozens had the opportunity to issue brief comments. Others were directed to leave email or voice mail messages registering their input.

Speaking to concerns about longevity in the county school system administration's top office, one caller from Laurel said that the committee needed to make sure the candidates were "committed to improving the quality of life in schools for students and parents."

Outreach to minority groups, especially the county's large Hispanic population, was another concern repeated by participants in the two open forums held so far. 

"That population doesn't really have a voice," said a caller from Greenbelt during Monday's telephone town hall. 

One mother from Laurel whose child recently graduated from Laurel High School said that in searching for a long term hire, the search committee also needs to make sure that the candidates have experience guiding a large school system. 

"We have a very large system which adds a layer of complexity which we don't see in other areas of the country," said the caller. 

Baker, who will be selecting Prince George's County's first Chief Executive Officer of the school system from among up to three candidates presented by the search committee, also participated in the town hall, providing brief introductory and closing remarks. 

"This is about putting our children first and making this the best education system possible," said Baker in his closing statements. 

Dukes, after the telephone town hall said that residents have also made clear that a focus on academic achievement and community outreach were also a high priority expressed by participants in the listening session. 

Would it be a tall order to find someone who can measure up to the expectations expressed by participants in the search committee forums held so far? 

Dukes said no. 

"I don't think the task will be difficult," Dukes said in an interview. "We will have to ensure that the next CEO has the time to engage in all of those things while being very committed to what's going on in the classroom."