Health & Fitness
Advice to the Fairfax Board of Education: Make Your Superintendency Search Completely Open to the Public
I don't see what Fairfax schools gain by listening to Pat O'Neil or anyone else from the MoCo Board of Education. The Fairfax search should be totally open to the public. Heck, put the thing on TV.
Recently, the Washington Examiner ran a story that reported the Fairfax County Public Schools Board of Education is going meet with the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education to seek advice on how to find a new superintendent. Apparently, our Board did such a great job of finding Joshua Starr, they’re now experts and ready to consult. Click here to read that story:
I’m puzzled. I don't even understand why Fairfax needs help. The Fairfax superintendency job is a top-tier job, a plum job. Without much effort, I would imagine that Fairfax gets a list of highly qualified candidates without even breaking a sweat (the folks will be lined up around the block when the job is posted). I just don't see what Fairfax gains by listening to Pat O'Neil or anyone else from our Board of Education.
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And I strongly disagree with O’Neill’s advice to keep the Fairfax search secret. In the Examiner, she said, "One bit of advice is that as much as you can keep the process confidential, it ensures a greater pool of candidates," she said. "In all likelihood, someone applying for the Fairfax County Public Schools superintendency is a sitting superintendent, and they don't want their legs cut out from them in their current job."
The more public and open the search, the better the search.
Find out what's happening in Rockvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Now think about it—these top-tier superintendents are like top-tier National Football League (NFL) franchise quarterbacks. Everyone knows who they are, and like the NFL, every team wants them. And these franchise players know that they are wanted. The fact that everyone wants New England’s Tom Brady or Greenbay’s Aaron Rodgers harms no one. And revealing the Fairfax superintendent candidates to the public also harms no one.
The more public and open the search, the better the search.
