Fulton County has tapped an executive from one of the nation's largest school districts as the sole finalist for its next school superintendent.
An announcement is expected to be made Tuesday as to when parents and teachers will be able to meet Robert M. Avossa, the chief strategy and accountability officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, during a 14-day review period before the school board makes its final decision.
By naming Avossa for the Fulton job, the school system has moved ahead of three other large metro Atlanta districts in search of a new chief, Atlanta Public Schools, the Cobb County School District and the DeKalb County School System. Of those three, only DeKalb has named finalists, choosing three candidates from smaller school districts.
Big chores await whoever takes over Fulton, one of Georgia's largest school systems, including raising students' test scores, tackling the disparity in academic performance between north and south Fulton schools, and steering the system through redistricting.
"I'm ready for whatever needs to be done," said Avossa, reached by telephone at his Charlotte office. "The challenges facing Fulton are similar to what we've encountered here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The districts are very similar, and we've made big gains in improving students' academic outcomes and closing [test score] gaps between schools."
Fulton School Board President Linda Schultz said Avasso was selected after a four-month national search that began in January, when current Superintendent Cindy Loe announced her plans to retire at the end of the school year.
Schultz declined to say how many applicants were screened, but that the board plans to offer Avossa the job after the review period.
"We think Robert is perfect for the job," Schultz said. "He is a strong coalition builder who believes that every child can learn. He's handled districts this large and larger in his career, and we're confident in his strength and experience."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has a student population of 135,000; the Fulton system serves 92,000 students.
In Charlotte, Avossa led the district in driving key performance management initiatives, including managing district and state testing, conducting independent research on student and teacher performance, and developing assessments for the district’s 2014 strategic plan.
"We can track individual students' performance month to month and see whether we're on the right path or not," he said.
Liz Payerle, a parent and former officer on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Parent Teacher Association's executive board, has known Avossa since he first came on board in 2007 as an area superintendent covering South Charlotte.
"Apart from being a heck of a nice guy, Robert is very intelligent and approachable," Payerle said. "He listens to everyone's ideas and never dodged a phone call."
Payerle said Avossa facilitated a parent's idea to hold joint PTA meetings between elementary, middle and high schools so parents could better coordinate their efforts.
Avossa said his schools made education gains with the students by focusing on teacher development and giving the teachers extra training and classroom materials when needed.
He said it's too soon to make any broad-brush pronouncements on Fulton's needs. But he said performance disparities between schools is something he is ready to address.
"Where we made gains, it was from investing in really highly qualified teachers and building on their talents," he said. "It's not a one-size-fits-all approach."
Nache Duncan, the president of the Fulton County Association of Educators, said she needs to hear more about Avossa before rendering an opinion on his credentials.
But she said there's a lot of work waiting for whoever gets the job.
"We have to refocus our efforts on the curriculum," she said. "Our students need to be doing better in mathematics, and we need to put the students first."
Robert M. Avossa
Professional experience
Chief strategy and accountability officer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte, N.C., August 2009-present. Executive leader of a 38-member team charged with driving key strategic performance-management initiatives, research and evaluation, school improvement, and student assessment.
Area superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, June 2007-August 2009. Executive leader for the South Learning Community, an area with 25,000 pre-k to 12th-grade students, 29 schools and a budget of $125 million.
Chief of staff, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, 2006-2007.
High school principal, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Fla., 2003-2006. Instructional leader of a comprehensive high school with 3,250 students (20 percent poverty, 50 percent minority), 225 employees and a $12.5 million budget.
Elementary school principal, Orange County Public Schools, 2001-2003. Instructional leader of an elementary school with 1,400 students (46 percent poverty, 80 percent Hispanic), 130 employees and a $5.5 million budget.
Assistant principal, 2000-2001.
Teacher, dean of students and other posts at various schools, 1995-1999.
Education
Educational Doctorate, Educational Leadership, Wingate University, Matthews, N.C. Anticipated completion date of August 2011.
Broad Superintendents Academy, Broad Center, Los Angeles, Calif. Anticipated completion date of November 2011.
Specialist Degree, Educational Leadership, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., June 1999.
Master of Arts, University of South Florida, Tampa, August 1995.
Bachelor of Science, University of South Florida, Tampa, May 1994.
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