Schools

New way to find a principal

Officials extend the search beyond county borders for a principal to lead "Elementary J."

By TOM MARSHALL, Times Staff Writer
Published October 25, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Schools chief Wayne Alexander wants an energetic new principal.

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County schools officials are taking a nearly unprecedented step this fall to find a principal for their newest school.

They're looking for candidates outside of Hernando County.

Superintendent Wayne Alexander said he wants the "brightest and best" to run the new, 2,100-student "Elementary J," which is slated to open next August off Northcliffe Boulevard in Spring Hill.

So he directed his personnel office to take out national ads in Education Week and other publications where talented school leaders might be browsing for work.

"That doesn't mean the brightest and the best aren't out there in Hernando right now," Alexander added, saying internal candidates are welcome to apply.

In the past, such candidates had a distinct edge. Heather Martin, executive director of business services, said she couldn't recall the district ever hiring an outsider to run a school in her entire 17-year tenure in the county.

But the days of being able to find enough principals from the ranks of teachers and assistant principals may be coming to an end in Florida, said Jim Warford, executive director of the Florida Association of School Administrators.

"There's no question that there's a shortage of experienced school leaders," he said Wednesday. "At a time when the demand for accountability is at an all-time high, we face the greatest turnover the state has ever seen. We're seeing districts having to advertise and recruit to fill those positions."

Warford, who previously served as Florida Chancellor of K-12 Education, said his office in 2005 calculated that 60 percent of all principals would reach retirement age within five years. Current retirement trends show that prediction is coming true, he said.

Research shows a direct connection between leadership quality and school achievement, Warford said. "But during this five-year period, we're seeing some of the youngest and least experienced administrators going into the principal's ranks."

This isn't Hernando's first national search for a principal. In 1999, the district cast a wide net to find the first principal of Nature Coast Technical High School, but that job ultimately went to an internal candidate, Margaret "Tizzy" Schoelles.

This time around, 17 candidates have applied to lead Elementary J, including four internal candidates, Martin said.

Of those insiders, one - Joe Clifford of A-rated West Hernando Middle School - is a respected veteran principal. He's joined by three veteran assistant principals: Carol Ellis of Spring Hill Elementary, Rick Markford of Central High and Virginia Maxwell of Moton Elementary, Martin said.

But at least a few of the 13 outside candidates are experienced or sitting principals, she added.

Alexander, himself an outsider who joined the district this fall via Connecticut, is looking for a principal with some moxie.

"I want a sense of energy, compassion, thinking outside the box," he said.

He plans to choose a winner from two or three finalists, and put them to work by April.

Tom Marshall can be reached at tmarshall@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1431.

[Last modified October 24, 2007, 20:26:49]