AACPS Superintendent Search: Dozens Apply To Replace Outgoing Arlotto
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — A total of 47 candidates applied to be the next superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, officials said Wednesday. Applications opened on March 24 and closed last Saturday.
Current Superintendent George Arlotto announced late last year that the school board did not offer him a third contract.
The Board of Education identified the top 15 candidates to replace Arlotto and will further review their applications. The board hopes to narrow the field to 8 to 11 solid candidates. Board members will get copies of all the applications, and interviews will follow soon after.
Officials did not release the names of any applicants, however.
Recruiters will now rate the candidates based on a scorecard that they developed using stakeholder input.
AACPS asked community members to share their thoughts in a March survey. The school system tapped consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to evaluate these responses.
This superintendent search consultant also interviewed representatives from 11 AACPS groups and 20 external organizations to hear their thoughts. Those participants are listed at this link.
The consultant used all this feedback to create a leadership profile report, which is posted here.
The firm found that the stakeholders appreciated AACPS's curriculum opportunities, student leadership and diversity.
The community viewed that same diversity as an area for potential improvement. The county wanted to see more people of color in leadership positions. Commenters were split, however, on how the next superintendent should handle teaching diversity-related lessons in the curriculum.
The leadership profile also highlighted these as the top issues for the next administration to tackle:
The COVID-19 pandemic's effects on learning loss, social well-being and mental health
The Board Of Education previously launched a committee to lead the search for Arlotto's replacement. Board Member Corine Frank is the chair. Fellow board members Dana Schallheim, Gloria Dent and Melissa Ellis are also on the committee.
Additional details are available at aacps.org/superintendentsearch. The school system will update that webpage as developments happen.
By state law, a new or interim superintendent must start on July 1. That's the beginning of the next fiscal year for AACPS.
The school system will offer the next permanent superintendent a multi-year contract worth about $300,000 annually, the job posting said.
"I have every intention to continue my work on behalf of our students and school system until my contract expires," Arlotto wrote in a Dec. 2, 2021 letter to AACPS families and employees. "I wish our Board, our awesome staff, our families, and the Anne Arundel community only the best as you move forward, collectively, to support, nurture, and love our students."
Reflecting On Arlotto's Tenure
The school board first appointed Arlotto to a four-year term on July 1, 2014. He started a second term on July 1, 2018.
Arlotto joined AACPS in 2006 after working as a teacher and a high school administrator in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Montgomery County. He was a member of the superintendent’s senior and executive staffs from 2006 through June 2014. In that time, Arlotto served as:
Director of high schools
Chief school performance officer
Assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and school performance
Associate superintendent
Chief of staff
"While I may not know where life’s journey will take me next, I am certain that AACPS will continue to thrive," Arlotto said. "As a school system focused on the needs of students, orchestrated by thoughtful, caring, compassionate, talented and professional educators and staff, our students will continue to grow and succeed."
The superintendent was proud to work with a dedicated school system. In particular, Arlotto applauded his workers' innovation during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Over the course of this extended and exhaustive time, they have repeatedly reinvented the education being delivered in our classrooms and the supports we have provided to students," the superintendent said. "Their heart and resolve has been unparalleled."
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman thanked Arlotto for his work and wished AACPS luck in its hunt for a new leader.
"Dr. Arlotto is a consummate professional with a huge heart and an unwavering commitment to children and education," Pittman said in a press release. "I am confident that Dr. Arlotto will facilitate a smooth transition, and that the Board of Education will choose wisely after a careful search for the superintendent who will lead us into the future."
RELATED:
AACPS Superintendent Search: School Board Seeks Community Input
AACPS Superintendent Search Timeline Released By School Board
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AACPS Superintendent Search: Dozens Apply To Replace Outgoing Arlotto originally appeared on the Annapolis Patch
