To the Fayette County Board of Education: As a homeowner, business owner and voter in Fayette County, there is a matter that I feel you should know how I feel.
Now that Dr. John DeCotis has resigned his position as superintendent, effective this June, the Fayette County Board of Education has the authority to recruit, interview, and hire our next superintendent.
This gives our school board a golden opportunity to launch a nationwide search for the best, most capable candidate for the job.
The direction our new superintendent takes us will have positive or negative effects on the value of our homes and businesses for years to come. We’ve come to expect the best for our Fayette County schools, but we all need to be a part of demanding the best.
I know you will be receiving a barrage of emails as a huge campaign is starting, so I will keep this brief with the bulleted points from the notification email I received:
• Fayette County should launch a nationwide search to locate the best, brightest, and most qualified candidates.
• The search for a new superintendent calls for a patient, long-term approach. This cannot be done effectively in haste.
• Recruiting for such a high level post typically takes 6-12 months.
• As the search is executed, an interim superintendent should be appointed, with the understanding that this is an interim post only and the best candidate from the nationwide search will ultimately be hired. The interim superintendent should not be a candidate for the job.
• The next superintendent must have a proven track record of success and leadership in another school system.
• The ideal candidate will bring a business/finance/management expertise to the job.
• The ideal candidate will hold a doctorate from an accredited institution.
• The ideal candidate will provide a fresh set of eyes with which they will see weaknesses in our current system and will have the backbone to do something about it.
Thanks for continuing to keep our school system running at its best.
Dr. Cliff Bost
Peachtree City, Ga.
