Friday, January 16, 2004

New superintendent for Fulton Schools

The Fulton County Board of Education approved a three-year contract for Michael J. Vanairsdale as permanent Superintendent of Schools at its pre-board meeting Wednesday. Vanairsdale has served as interim superintendent since October 23, following the resignation of former Superintendent John Haro.

“Michael Vanairsdale has the leadership skills that will take the Fulton County School System to even higher achievement levels,” said board president Katie Reeves. “The board was impressed with Mr. Vanairsdale in his role as Assistant Superintendent of Operations and has been equally impressed with the actions he has taken since assuming the interim superintendent position.”

The board announced in December that it would forgo a formal superintendent search and would use the information gathered from the previous search to select a new candidate. Surveys, community meetings, and board discussions from the previous search pointed to selecting a strong leader who has courage and integrity, is politically savvy, hands-on, organized and data driven, and is results-oriented.

Citing that he possessed all of those qualities, the board focused on Vanairsdale as a permanent leader.

“Mr. Vanairsdale has been in Fulton for almost eight years,” Reeves said. “He knows our school system, he knows where we have been, and he has a vision for where we should be heading. The board is pleased that he will be leading our system on a permanent basis.”

As Superintendent, Vanairsdale promises to continue the system's focus on student achievement and continual improvement.

“I see Fulton County as a school system that is among the best in the nation. This reputation was earned by the performance of bright students, dedicated teachers and staff, a Board that is committed to education, and the support of parents and community,” Vanairsdale said. “My main goal is to lead the system in closing the achievement gap ­ to raise the performance of our below-average students while at the same time increasing the achievement among high-performing students and schools.”

Vanairsdale is a proven leader with more than 33 years of management experience. He came to the Fulton County School System in 1996 as Assistant Superintendent of Support Services, overseeing school construction and facilities management, school nutrition, records management, purchasing, warehousing, and student transportation.

During Vanairsdale’s seven-year tenure as Assistant Superintendent of Operations, all new schools constructed opened on time and under budget, saving Fulton taxpayers money and relieving overcrowded schools. The process for community involvement in school construction earned national recognition under his direction, and the system received awards for its proactive environmental practices, innovative purchasing methods, and efficient school transportation.

In instructional areas, Vanairsdale was instrumental in creating a partnership between the school system and Sheltering Arms. The partnership increases the opportunity for low-cost, high-quality preschool education to thousands of Fulton County children annually through four child development centers located on school system property. In addition, Vanairsdale enhanced educational opportunities to children throughout the world by orchestrating a donation of 50,000 surplus Fulton textbooks to schools in war-torn Iraq.

Vanairsdale graduated magna cum laude with a Masters degree in Business Administration from Syracuse University and holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Gonzaga University. He is a 26-year veteran of the United States Army and has commanded troops in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the 101st Airborne Division and the U.S. Army South. He also has held positions in the Pentagon in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army as well as in the Canadian National Defense Headquarters, and served as Command Budget Officer for the Forces Command in Atlanta.