School Administrators Seek Input on Lacey Principal

Fairfax County Public Schools officials said they expect a number of experienced candidates to apply for the principal position at the new elementary school in Annandale.

FCPS is seeking public input into the selection of the principal for the new Lacey elementary school site. That input would include leaderships skills, school issues and challenges and more.

Any sitting Fairfax County elementary school principal is eligible to apply. Beth Boivin, a school district human resources specialist, said at a Tuesday meeting in Annandale that the school system always selects a sitting principal for any new school that pulls in students from surrounding communities.

“It’s hard to be a first-year principal,” Boivin said. “… The most successful transition, we believe, is to use somebody that already has some principal experience, so they’re used to hiring a staff, setting up a staff, working with the PTA, and then they can use those skills and come over and open the new school.

“So there’s already a skill set there that somebody, that might not have been a principal before, would find it tough to do at a new school.”

Dan Parris, assistant superintendent for Cluster III, said Fairfax County Public Schools already employs many experienced elementary school principals who are eligible for the new position.

“One of the things I’m very confident about is we’ll have a deep pool of candidates,” he said.

About 30 people attended Tuesday’s meeting at Annandale Terrace Elementary School. School administrators are seeking input on the following characteristics:

• Leadership skills
• Administrative experience
• Leadership characteristics (style)
• School issues to be addressed
• School challenges to be met

All public input is due Wednesday, Oct. 12.

The candidates will undergo a Nov. 2 panel interview that includes questions generated from the public input process. The panel will include parent and staff representatives from each of the four schools feeding into the Lacey site, principals and the cluster director.

Boivin said community members interested in serving on the panel should contact their local PTA president. Staff members who wish to serve should contact their faculty advisory committee.

Parris said the target deadline for the new hire is Dec. 1.

Separately, the colors for the interior of the Lacey school have been selected, Fairfax County School Board member Sandy Evans said Tuesday evening. Those colors will be blue, with turquoise highlights, and rose. The school roof will be hunter green, she said.

The Lacey elementary school, which is set to open in fall 2012, will host grades K-5 and has an initial target enrollment of approximately 500 students.

All public input for the selection process may be emailed to Beth.Boivin@fcps.edu or mailed to Beth Boivin, Suite 1114, Gatehouse Administration Center 1, 8115 Gatehouse Road, Falls Church, VA 22042.