I am excited to announce that, with the support of the Board of Education, we will be hiring a Deputy Superintendent to lead and support all teaching and learning efforts in the district. The Deputy Superintendent will serve as the Chief Academic Officer providing leadership, vision, and oversight of the district’s curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student supports. This position will be responsible for the district’s early childhood and K-12 instructional programs across all ages, grade levels, and content areas.

The decision to add administrative positions at the central office level is not something the Board or I take lightly. We are and have been very careful in our consideration of adding this role. Over at least the last decade, as our student enrollment has grown dramatically, the number of administrators has steadily decreased proportionally to the number of students–currently at half the level it was a decade ago. This is one of many human capital needs in our district, and we have already begun discussions of how we address our other needs as we kick off our 2017-18 budget development season.

After evaluating the needs of the district and working with the staff and community to draft a strategic improvement plan for the district that will build a solid foundation and support our students throughout their journey in City Schools of Decatur and beyond, I decided it was important to hire a Deputy Superintendent to help lead these efforts. Adding this position will improve the speed and efficiency with which we will be able to address critical needs, including reductions in achievement gaps, improvements in services to students, and implementation of personalized learning plans, to name a few.

The position has been posted on our website (http://bit.ly/2fgBhaO) as well as other recruiting sites. I am prepared for this process to take as long as needed because getting the right person is a higher priority than getting a person who can start immediately. Applications for the position will be accepted over the next several weeks, with a robust interview process to follow. Details on timelines and how interested persons can participate in this important selection process will be shared in the near future.

I have attached an organizational chart showing how this position will fit into our existing structure once the position is filled. If you know someone who would be a great addition to our district, I encourage you to share the posting with him/her.

Thank you for all you do for our district! I am excited by the challenges and opportunities we are facing in serving ALL of #OurKids!

David