Charleston, South Carolina – The Board of Trustees for the Charleston County School District has meticulously streamlined their superintendent candidate list, revealing the top three finalists.
Following the selection, the board is determined to involve the community in the decision-making process. Their upcoming plan involves organizing a series of meet and greet sessions, where locals can interact with and pose questions to each of the shortlisted candidates.
Kicking off this interactive sequence, Dr. Eric Gallien from Racine, Wisconsin, who currently serves as a superintendent, was introduced to the community on Thursday evening.
As Pam McKinney, the Chairwoman of the Charleston County School District’s Board of Trustees, expressed, the community’s voice has been instrumental in shaping their superintendent search since its inception.
“It is the community that a superintendent will work for. It is the community of children that we’re here to educate,” McKinney said.
Continuing her statement, McKinney explained that the district synthesized the input from both the community and the board to shape a definitive profile of an ideal superintendent candidate for their district. Moving ahead with this profile, they have decided to welcome the top three candidates to participate in an event dubbed “A Day in the District.”
According to McKinney, this particular day would entail each candidate addressing the board, taking part in school tours, and responding to inquiries from a focus group. This group, she revealed, is a carefully selected assembly of individuals representing each of the district’s board members, lasting approximately two hours.
Subsequent to these proceedings, the community will be granted the opportunity to engage with and pose questions to each of the candidates.
Nathalie Bennett, who holds the honor of being the district’s Teacher of the Year for 2022, remarked on the significance of these interactions. Even though their conversation was brief, she mentioned that the superintendent candidate brought forth intriguing ideas regarding the use of networking to amplify the voices of all teachers.
“I really hope that whatever superintendent we bring in understands that teachers have to be prioritized and listen to what our teachers need throughout the district,” Bennett said.
Arthur Lawrence, a local community member, shared details from his exchange with Gallien. Lawrence questioned Gallien about his plans for the initial 100 days if selected as superintendent. Gallien expressed his commitment to prioritize public feedback, stating he would first strive to thoroughly understand the district’s status before formulating further strategies, as narrated by Lawrence.
This community interaction with Gallien marks the inaugural event in a series of three ‘Meet and Greets’ organized by the district. The next event scheduled for Wednesday will introduce the community to another finalist, Dr. Charles McNulty. Regarding the third candidate, the district confirmed they are in the process of scheduling a similar visit.
More information on the visits can be found here.
