A member of the community advisor committee that’s helping guide the search for a new superintendent for Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants the general public to be able to ask candidates questions.
Venita Doggett made that recommendation to district school board members at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Doggett is a member of the advisory committee and the Director of Advocacy for the Memphis Education Fund and she said it’s important that the community has a voice in this process. As part of that, Doggett also asked the board to stream candidate interview sessions and allow the public to provide finalist feedback.
“My daughter is a sixth grader. She is halfway through her educational journey that I dare say has only been great due to the strength of her principals. We can’t afford to lose any more time, any more years or ten years past the merger and de-merger to unfocused, chaotic, and unsure leadership,” said Doggett.
Fellow advisory member and Regional Outreach Coordinator for Stand for Children-TN Paul Gardner also spoke about how important it is that board members get the search right. Gardner asked the board to provide every opportunity for public engagement in the process.
“We’re currently in Phase Three of the search process and I just want to remind folks that in that Phase Three it outlines that we should have at least two community meetings for community engagement,” said Gardener. “We want the public to trust the outcome of this process, they have to be able to trust the process, right? The best way to do that is to make sure we’re as open, transparent, that we’re allowing for every opportunity engagement along the way.”
Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been searching for a new leader since last July when former superintendent Joris Ray resigned while under investigation over claims that he abused his power and violated district policies.
Tuesday night board members also heard from two members of parent organization the Memphis Lift. Its Blue Ribbon Task Force has been conducting interviews with past and current superintendents and high-profile, high performing CEOs to develop a leadership profile for the superintendent.
“We want one that’s a servant leader, one that leads by example. One that’s going to come in and do the work, one that’s gonna come in and lead with balance. One that’s known for developing strong relationships coming in the door, one that’s going to be a change agent, lead by example, create a vision,” said Blue Ribbon member Charles Lampkin.
Lampkin also stressed the next superintendent needs to be innovative and have values that align with the Memphis community.
Fellow Blue Ribbon Task Force member Adrianne Carroll also provided some suggestions for how the board should conduct the candidate vetting process.
Carroll says the search process should involve engagement with candidates’ current colleagues and she believes the final candidates need to present a plan to address Memphis’s low literacy rates.
“We recognize that future superintendents cannot make the final plan until taking the position and learning the full scope of needs for our students, but they should come with some ideas prepared for possible steps,” said Carroll.
