The Ann Arbor Administrators Association issued 17 recommendations for what the Board of Education should look for in a new superintendent. The principals union took a couple of jabs at current Superintendent Patricia Green, pictured above, in its recommendations.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com file photo
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Three days after advertisements seeking the next superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools went live, the Ann Arbor principals union released a list of 17 qualities it hopes to see in the district's fifth leader in 10 years — and a doctoral degree and thick resume were not among them.
Finding an internal candidate who can be a "healer" and gain the trust of the community through collaboration, visibility, open and honest dialogue, and flexibility of thought were repeated throughout the union's list of desired characteristics.
Dicken Elementary School Principal and union President Mike Madison penned the recommendations which captured the collective thinking of the Ann Arbor Administrators Association and sent them to the Board of Education late Monday morning.
AAAA President Mike Madison
"I realize this would require a current building-level administrator, in that no one at Balas (Administration Building) currently is a long-time employee, but it is a risk AAPS must take."
Superintendent Patricia Green resigned from the Ann Arbor Public Schools in mid-April, stating her intent to retire after 43 years in public education.
Her resignation is effective July 9.
Green requested a five-year contract when she was hired by AAPS in 2011. When the Maryland native leaves in July, Green will have served just two years of her contract.
Green's time in the AAPS has been marked by criticism from parents, teachers, principals and the public. Her communication skills, approachability, accessibility and level of transparency have been points of contention throughout her tenure.
School officials have said the $245,000 salary the Board of Education set in 2011 negatively affected the public's perceptions and expectations of the position. Board Trustee Andy Thomas called the salary an "albatross" Green wore around her neck the entire time she was here.
The idea behind increasing the salary was to attract a prestigious candidate with a wealth of experience working in a large district, and in a university town, similar to Ann Arbor. The board also wanted a candidate with expertise in improving academic achievement and discipline issues among ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students, which Green excelled at in her previous districts.
However, members of the school community have stressed a need and a desire for stability and longevity in leadership. The AAAA's recommendations echo pleas from parents and the public for local and internal candidates and take several swipes at Green.
"We need a leader who realizes that only effective instruction from highly effective educators solves achievement and discipline issues," Madison wrote. "Our leader should know that just saying 'shrink the discipline gap' won't solve the problem, but knows that through best practices, buy-in from staff and high quality interventions that we will solve these issues."
The union also wrote that the next leader should have a history of being an effective — not just well-liked — teacher and administrator himself.
"They do not necessarily need a doctoral degree or an extended resume. Is that not what we just had?" Madison wrote. "How did that work out?"
Other recommendations from the AAAA include finding a leader who:
- Values and solicits the ideas and creativity of all the members that he or she works with.
- Leads by example, guides with enthusiasm and praises the collective works of the team.
- Has conversations about other topics besides education.
- Is aeteran leader with varied work experience.
- In addition to his/her own educational philosophy, has skills in building consensus among all of the stakeholders of the educational community and can be open to considering changes to his or her own plan when circumstances require it.
- Has the ability to reorganize central office in order for decisions to be made quickly, timely and based on students' needs, not adults.
The AAAA also said superintendent candidates should be required to share their 90-day plans as part of the interview process.
A posting advertising the superintendent position went up Friday and will close June 14. The school board is using the Iowa-based consulting firm Ray & Associates to conduct a nationwide search for a new leader.
The search will be at a minimal cost to the district because of a two-year satisfaction guarantee clause the district had in its contract for the search that resulted in Green's hiring.
The salary has been advertised at $180,000 to $220,000, "plus an excellent comprehensive benefits package." This pay range is $25,000 to $65,000 less than Green's $245,000 salary. It brings the district closer to the $175,000 base pay the AAPS had when former Superintendent Todd Roberts was in office. It also brings the district more in line with other superintendents in the county, who earn an average of about $140,000.
The Ann Arbor school board will be appointing an interim superintendent shortly to lead the district while the board goes through the process of finding a new leader. The board's intent is to have a new superintendent in place prior to September and the first day of the 2013-14 academic year.
The AAAA had recommendations about the interim superintendent as well.
"An interim candidate must be carefully chosen," Madison wrote. "The wrong choice from our current central office could make things even worse for our community. A vibrant building leader stepping up would be a way to help the board earn back trust and respect."
The board is expected to talk more about the superintendent search at a study session on Wednesday. The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Balas Administration Building.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.