by Kate Evans
The Morgan County School Board voted to approve School Superintendent Kristen Tuttle’s resignation in their March 19 personnel actions. They also approved using technical and advertising assistance from the West Virginia School Board Association in their search for a new district superintendent. Tuttle’s resignation is effective at the end of June 30.
The notice of position vacancy for Superintendent of Morgan County Schools was posted last Wednesday, March 20 on both the Morgan County Schools website and the West Virginia School Board Association website with a link to an online fillable application form. The deadline for receiving applications and all documents is 4 p.m. on Friday, April 5.
Shorter posting advised
School board president Aaron Close said School Board Association Executive Director Jim Brown advised him that they should do a 2-3 week posting of the superintendent vacancy.
Brown noted they would get the most responses in the first five days and on the last two days of the posting.
Close suggested posting the vacancy as soon as possible and having applications in by April 5. That way the applications could be reviewed by the school board’s April 16 meeting and possibly some interviews done beforehand.
The board agreed with the recommendation. Board member Laura Smith said, “The quicker, the better.”
Board member John Rowland wondered about the time involved in filling out the application. Close said that the essay length was lowered to 200 words. The application essay topics include leadership philosophy, human resources management, prior achievements and challenges and meeting diverse needs.
Applications
Applications will include a resumé, letter of interest in the position, a copy of the applicant’s superintendent certification, along with their present position, education, experience, honors and distinctions, community activities, references and membership affiliations.
Candidates must meet superintendent certification criteria and residency qualifications of being a resident of West Virginia and a resident of Morgan County or a neighboring county in West Virginia.
The Morgan County School Board prefers that the applicant awarded the position live in Morgan County.
Applications can be emailed to Close as pdfs at aaron.close@k12.wv.us or mailed as hard copies to Morgan County Schools Superintendent Search, C/O Aaron Close-Board President, Morgan County Board of Education Office, 247 Harrison Ave., Berkeley Springs, WV 25411.
Desired qualities
The notice of superintendent vacancy says that the superintendent will be a strong and effective leader and work with board members and stakeholders to create a collaborative vision for the district.
Desired candidate qualities include kindness, empathy, being approachable, decisive leadership, strong and clear communication skills, goal-setting, collaboration, open-mindedness, fairness and integrity, relationship-building, strong curriculum and instructional focus and the ability to always put the needs of students above all else.
Advertising
Board president Aaron Close said that they were also using a couple newspaper publications around the state and regionally. The notice of superintendent vacancy and application link has also been shared with the Association of School Administrators and a state group of all principals and assistant principals through an email.
The West Virginia School Board Association’s involvement in their superintendent search is regional and state advertising, Close said. They’ll also check certifications on applications that Close forwards to them to make sure that the candidates are eligible for the position. They will not be screening applicants or scheduling interviews, he noted.
