Community meets finalists for Aiken County superintendent
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - As the Aiken County Board of Education moves forward in the selection process for the district’s next superintendent, the community was invited to meet the finalists over the weekend.
Parents were able to learn more about the finalists’ and what they think makes them qualified for the position.
After hearing from the candidates we caught up with a chairman of the Aiken County Board of Education, on what is important to him about the finalists.
Cam Nuessle, chairman, says, “For myself personally, its not how long your resume is or how many letters you have after your name, I think its about you find out what the superintendent is about what value they could bring and how does that fit the current needs of the district now - this year.”
Past the meet and greet with the community, the decision still lies in the hands of the school board.
The next steps are finalists interviews that finish up Tuesday and then they will eventually meet and select the next superintendent.
The reception was at 1 p.m. Saturday in Aiken High School’s new auditorium and was open to employees, parents, students and community .
There was an opportunity for stakeholders to spend time with each candidate during an informal reception in the atrium.
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“The reception gives the three finalists a chance for them to introduce themselves to the public, and the opportunity in a casual setting for the public to talk to the finalists and get to know them a little bit,” Nuessle also says.
Community engagement has been at the core of the school board’s efforts to identify the right fit for Aiken County Public Schools’ next educational leader.
After current Superintendent King Laurence announced his retirement, the board contracted with the South Carolina School Boards Association to conduct its superintendent search.
As the nationwide search began, the association hosted a number of community input meetings and also gathered through an electronic survey.
A summary of all input received was prepared for the board and shared with them, along with the public on the district website.
“I read every word of it,” Nuessle commented on the 68-page report. “We really wanted from the community on what they were looking for, to maintain a broad perspective as we went through the selection process”
The search resulted in 18 qualified applicants. The board met in mid-December for an extensive review of the applications received. With community input in mind, the board agreed upon a handful of candidates for interviews and conducted them in executive session last week.
From the group of six semifinalists, three finalists emerged and were announced publicly at the Tuesday meeting:
- Chan Anderson, Ed.D., who currently serves as superintendent for the Chesterfield County School District.
- Amy Edwards, Ed.D., current chief instructional officer for the district.
- Corey Murphy, Ph.D., who currently serves as the district’s chief officer of operations and student services.
Finalists are scheduled for interviews in early February, and Nuessle anticipates a decision from the board and naming of Aiken County Public Schools’ next superintendent as soon as possible after the last interview.
“This Board of Education has endeavored to do a very thorough search to find the best candidate to be the next educational leader in the district,” Nuessle stated. “Right now, we are putting all of our efforts into finding the right person that is a fit for our district’s needs.”
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