Diversity, transparency tops wishlist for new Prince William schools leader

More than 20 people have already applied to replace Dr. Steven L. Walts, one of the longest-serving public school superintendents in Virginia.

Walts has led the Prince William County Public Schools for the past 15 years and will retire on July 1, 2021. The Prince William County School Board on December 17 voted unanimously to approve a candidate profile, which is intended to has made it clear to applicants what qualities it’s looking for in Walts’ replacement.

The school division contracted with BPW Associates to hire a new superintendent. It will stop accepting applications for the job on January 27, begin interviews in February, and select six finalists the following month for the School Board to review.

Following interviews, the School Board will hire Walt’s replacement. BWP Associates asked some county residents, students, and teachers for their opinions on why they would like to see in the job.

“Instructional leader” and “visionary” were some of the most commonly used words in response to survey questions. Respondents said they want more transparency about the school division’s inner workings, with great communication skills. Many teachers said they often heard the news about the school division from co-workers or on the press.

They want someone who can push for more funding for the school division, which has an annual $4 billion budget. And they want someone who has worked in a large, diverse school division, similar to Prince William County, which has a student population of 89,000 — the majority (36 percent) of which are Hispanic, followed by whites (28 percent), and then black students (21 percent), according to the Virginia Department of Education.

“They want to have a staff that is more reflective of the student population, with diversity at all levels,” said Dr. W. Wayne Harris, with BPW Associates. “You’re not looking for a manager. You’re looking for someone that is instructional-oriented and has made a difference in whatever job they’ve had, and they need to present that to you as a candidate. You could have the superintendent of the year in Iowa, but if they don’t have the multicultural experience, they’re not going to be a good fit for your county.”

Survey respondents also said they want someone who will be committed to serving Prince William County for the long term, an example set by Walts. Over his tenure, Walts has become one of the highest-paid public school superintendents not only in the state, but also in the U.S., with an annual salary and benefits package of over $400,000.

BPW Associates hosted a series of meetings between November 30 and December that was attended by 220 people. More than 7,000 people participated online, and 25 people who couldn’t participate in the forums sent emails containing their new superintendent’s wishes.

It was BPW Associates’s second-most attended the questionnaire process, next to a forum it held for Chesterfield County, which drew 2,000 participants.

Woodbridge District School Board representative Loree Williams complimented Walts for his efforts to use social media to connect with students and said she hoped it would continue.

“Our superintendent has a developed a great relationship with the students,” said Williams. “I think this will be his legacy.”

On October 2, A Prince William Circuit Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by former School Prince William County School Board Chairman At-large Ryan Sawyers against the School Board. He sought the disclosure of more than 20,000 direct messages Walts sent to students via his Twitter account.

Following a hearing and her review of the direct messages, Prince William Circuit Judge Kimberly A. Irving held that the messages were “clearly exempted” from mandatory disclosure under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act because they were communications of the chief executive officer of the School Board, said school division spokeswoman Diana Gulotta.

Walts often communicated with students, parents, staff members, and other community members using direct messages to address their concerns and respond to questions, the judge found. Some of those communications were made during late evening hours, as well as during the school day.

Some of the Tweets sent to Walts from students included tweets asking Walts to go on a date with them. Walts did not discourage this behavior in his replies to the students, PLN found during an independent review of Walts’ Twitter account conducted in May.