Friday, February 7, 2003

Fulton County BOE decides on superintendent - taking public comments

The Fulton County Board of Education announced Wednesday that Dr. John T. Haro of Rosemount, Minn., is its finalist for the position of Superintendent for the Fulton County School System.

Following a 14-day public comment period, which begins today, the board plans to formally tender the position to Dr. Haro so he can assume his role as new Fulton superintendent in July.

Dr. Haro, 52, has a 20-year record of success as a superintendent, including the last 10 years as superintendent of the Independent School District 196 (ISD 196) in Rosemount, Minn.

Throughout his tenure of the 30,000-student suburban district, Dr. Haro oversaw a rise in student achievement through improved test scores, the construction of seven new schools, a strengthened financial status, and expanded communications activities with staff, parents, business leaders and the community.

A graduate of the University of California (B.A., 1972; M.A., 1973) and the University of La Verne (Ed.D., 1991), Dr. Haro served as a teacher, athletic director, dean of students, assistant principal, and principal before he became superintendent for the 1,200-student Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District in Newman, Calif. He later served as superintendent for the 7,250-student Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District in Rohnert Park, Calif., and was superintendent of the 20,000-student Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District in Fairfield, Calif.

He has been superintendent of Independent School District 196, considered one of the premier larger school systems in the Midwest, since 1993.

It was Dr. Haro's excellent communication skills that also led the board to his selection. The son of Spanish immigrants, Dr. Haro fluently speaks Spanish and brings with him many personal and professional experiences that will be assets in focusing Fulton's resources toward closing the achievement gap among its students while at the same time enabling students who excel to reach higher levels of performance.

The Board of Education officially launched its search in September 2002, following the departure of former superintendent Dr. Stephen Dolinger.

The board directed the Marietta law firm of Brock, Clay, Calhoun, Wilson, and Rogers to conduct a national search, and spent many hours discussing the skills and attributes needed for Fulton's next superintendent.

Four community forums were conducted and more than 400 written opinion surveys were received from Fulton County citizens and school employees. This information allowed the board to focus its search on a candidate who is a "hands on" leader of demonstrated courage and integrity, and one who is child centered and focused on results.

The search process included extensive interviews with a number of candidates and concluded with the board focusing on a single leading candidate. During the search, the Fulton County Board of Education considered 70 candidates from 30 states who represented a diverse group of professional educators, business leaders and career military personnel. Included among these candidates were 32 individuals with superintendent experience.

The Fulton County School System and the Independent School District 196 share many similarities ­ both are the fourth largest school systems in their state, are suburban, and are located adjacent to the capital city.

Both also are recipients of the "What Parents Want Award" from SchoolMatch, with ISD 196 receiving the award for eight consecutive years and Fulton receiving it for 11 years. Both districts have multiple cities located within it, with ISD 196 serving seven cities and two townships and Fulton serving nine cities and unincorporated areas of the county.

In addition, both districts have numerous National Schools of Excellence at all levels and have one of the best music programs in the nation.

Both districts have acclaimed special education programs, with ISD 196 recently receiving the State