Take a Journey Through Christmas Wonderland in Alton Grandpa Gang...
Read More
New HSD Superintendent to be Announced Week of April 11
After 6 months the Hazelwood School District’s (HSD’s) search for a new superintendent is in its final phase. Desiree Whitlock, president of the HSD Board of Education, said that the final selection should be announced the week of April 11.
The search has been led by the Board and BWP & Associates. Using input from one-on-one interviews, focus group sessions, and an online community survey, the following desirable characteristics and skills for a new superintendent were identified:
- Collaborator/team builder/strong leader/manager/partner
- Good communicator in written and verbal areas with political savvy
- Able to work with the Board and offer leadership and training
- Being personally trustworthy, ethical, confident, dedicated, sincere, child focused
- Demonstrating the ability to build good relationships and serve as a good listener who seeks input from others
- Able to lead in difficult times and provide strategic planning and thinking
- Innovative, visionary, and visible
- Student centered and likes children
These qualities were used to narrow the field from 34 initial candidates to a slate of 7 highly qualified persons. All 7 candidates were interviewed by the Board in mid-March. The three finalists were then chosen: Nettie Collins-Hart, Dennis Carpenter and Tyrone McNichols.
Nettie Collins-Hart is currently the superintendent of Proviso Township High Schools District 209 in Forest Park, Illinois, a diverse district of 5,000 students in grades 9-12. She previously served as a superintendent in the Pre K-12 District in North Carolina, as assistant superintendent in Chapel Hill (12,500 students) and in Lawrence Public Schools (10,500 students). In addition, she has held the positions of director of curriculum and curriculum specialist, director of educational talent search, director of Upward Bound, assistant principal, principal, high school English and reading teacher, instructor, adjunct professor and assistant college/university professor.
Dennis Carpenter is currently the superintendent of Hickman Mills School District, Kansas City, Missouri, which serves 6,600 Pre K – 12 students. He has also served as deputy superintendent for operations in Georgia (20,000 students), associate superintendent, assistant superintendent, elementary principal, middle school assistant principal, teacher, paraprofessional and adjunct professor.
Tyrone McNichols is currently the principal at Barrington Elementary School and has been superintendent of schools in the Normandy Schools Collaborative (3,600 Pre K – 12 students). In addition, he has held the positions of assistant superintendent of learning, assistant superintendent for accountability, principal, adjunct professor, assistant principal, teacher for 5th graders and 8th graders and program coordinator for the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Mid-County.
Community forums were held in late March to allow district residents to provide impressions of the candidates. These were recorded and are being made available to the public.
