The Fayette County Board of Education on Friday announced two of the finalists who will interview for the position of superintendent:
- Emmanuel “Manny” Caulk, currently superintendent of the Portland Public Schools in Maine, will be in Lexington on June 23 and June 24.
- Terri Breeden, assistant superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, will be in town June 25 and June 26.
Additional candidates might also be scheduled for interviews.
“Our community asked us to find a superintendent with a record of success in an urban school district and documented results of consistently improving achievement for all students,” said board Chairman John Price. “We are confident that as superintendent, these two transformational leaders would put children at the center of every decision he or she makes, and rebuild trust and strengthen relationships with students, employees, families and the community at large.”
Caulk was hired in 2012 as the schools chief in Portland, the largest school district in Maine, serving roughly 7,000 students. He previously served as an assistant superintendent in the School District of Philadelphia – serving 167,000 students – and assistant superintendent in East Baton Rouge Parish School System – a district of 46,000 students in Louisiana.
He has seven years of classroom experience, including five years as a special education teacher in a juvenile detention center in Delaware. He has been an elementary and high school principal in public school systems, and dean of students, special education coordinator, and regional director with charter schools. Caulk holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education and a law degree, and will complete his doctorate in education this December.
Breeden started her current role in Loudoun – a school district of 80,000 students on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. – in 2014. She previously served as an assistant superintendent in Fairfax County Public Schools – a district of 181,000 students in Virginia – and an executive director of grades 5-12 in the Metropolitan Nashville Schools – a district of 75,000 students in Tennessee.
She taught elementary and middle school in Nashville for 12 years, and has been an assistant principal and principal. Breeden holds a bachelor’s degree in education, two master’s degrees in education, and a doctorate in education.
“Each of these candidates has a wealth of experience in classrooms and school leadership roles. Both Manny and Terri have worked with students coming from diverse backgrounds and have demonstrated success in closing achievement gaps,” Price said. “Our screening committee and board agree that they clearly meet the profile developed by our stakeholders, and we are excited to introduce them to our community.”
Caulk and his wife will arrive in Lexington on Tuesday. His visit will begin with a tour of local schools in the afternoon and a reception open to everyone to come meet and greet the candidate and his spouse. Because of overwhelming interest from the community, the reception venue has been changed to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, 1600 Man o’ War Blvd., from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Caulk will be interviewed throughout the day by eight focus groups representing students, employees, families and community members. Each panel will then provide feedback to the school board about their impressions. Those interviews will be hosted by Bryan Station High School, 201 Eastin Road.
A news conference is set for 3:15 p.m. Wednesday in Conference Room C at the district office, 701 E. Main St. It will air live and be replayed on the district’s dedicated cable station, Channel 13. Beginning at 6 p.m. that evening, the community is encouraged to attend a public forum in Norsworthy Auditorium at the school district office.
The schedule will repeat when Breeden and her husband arrive in Lexington on Thursday afternoon. Again, she will begin with a tour of schools and a community reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Dunbar. The full day of focus group interviews at Bryan Station will be next Friday, followed by the 3:15 p.m. news conference and 6 p.m. public forum at the district office.
Everyone is welcome to:
- Attend the community receptions for the first two finalists from 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 23 and June 25 at Dunbar. Students, families, employees, and all Lexington residents are invited.
- Participate in the public forums, moderated by KET Connections host Renee Shaw, from 6 to 7 p.m. June 24 and June 26 in Norsworthy Auditorium.
- People may also submit questions for the forum and send the school board feedback on the candidates via www.fcps.net/letstalk.
“This is an exciting for the Fayette County Public Schools as we look to select a leader who can help draw our team together and focus on building a brighter future for the children of Fayette County,” Price said. “We look forward to welcoming these high-quality candidates and getting to know them while engaging our community to showcase our great school district.”