Ocean City Today
APRIL 27, 2012
NEWS 3
Board announces four candidates for superintendent of schools Stakeholders will have opportunity to meet with finalists in coming weeks (April 27, 2012) Worcester County Public Schools’ superintendent search, facilitated by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, is entering into its final stages. With four candidates advancing as finalists, the Worcester County Board of Education announced April 25, that the search process will move into daylong stakeholder interview sessions. “Invited volunteers representing a variety of stakeholder groups will have the opportunity — during pre-scheduled days — to ask questions to each of the finalists, as well as to provide the board of education with feedback on their experiences with the candidates,” said board President Robert A. Rothermel Jr. “We value stakeholder participation. Our school system is comprised of community schools, and it makes sense to seek community input.” Stakeholder groups include elected officials, Central Office staff, principals, students, support staff, business leaders, teachers, and parents/community leaders. The four finalists are John B. Gaddis, Michael Sander, Louis H. Taylor and Gerald “Jerry” Wilson. Below are brief biographies on each candidate, sharing information on their professional work history, accomplishments, education, community service, and family.
John B. Gaddis
Michael Sander
JOHN B. GADDIS, ED.D. Gaddis has served Worcester County Public Schools for 23 years, holding the position as assistant superintendent for instruction for the last two years. Prior, Gaddis served as a school principal for 10 years, in addition to serving as an assistant principal, coordinator of technology and an elementary school teacher. He has worked and lived in all three geographic regions of Worcester County. With the instructional leadership of Gaddis: n Worcester County Public Schools ranks first in the state, out of 24 Maryland school systems, in both reading and mathematics, as well as overall, as measured by the 2011 Maryland School Assessments (this is the first time that the school system has ranked first in all three indicators). n Nine of the 14 schools have become re-accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which advocates the Accreditation for Growth model for school improvement. n WCPS continues to move forward with Race to the Top reforms including the implementation of the Common Core
Louis H. Taylor
Jerry Wilson
Curriculum, teacher effectiveness training, and a new longitudinal data system. n Fifty-one percent of countywide Advanced Placement test takers achieved a mastery score of 3 or better in 2011, significantly exceeding both state and national averages. Gaddis was born and raised in Pocomoke City, graduating from Pocomoke High School in 1985. He earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education and a master’s in education, with a concentration in administration, from Salisbury University. In 2005, Gaddis earned a doctor of education, with a concentration in innovation and leadership, from Wilmington University. Gaddis serves on the board of directors for the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, and he leads a campaign drive for the school system, which contributed $41,190 in 2011. He also serves on the executive board of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals and is a Fellow of the Maryland Principals Academy. Gaddis lives in Snow Hill and has three children (two sons and a daughter) who attend Worcester County Public Schools.
MICHAEL SANDER, ED.D. Sander has been an educator for 28 years, serving as superintendent for the last 10 years in school districts in Kentucky and Ohio. For the last three years, he has served as superintendent of the Clinton-Massie Local School District in Clarksville, Ohio. Prior, he has held positions as a school principal for seven years, in addition to having served as an assistant principal and a mathematics and computer programming teacher. As an instructional leader, Sander: n Served on the board of directors for both the Kentucky Child Now Council and the Northern Kentucky P-16 Council. n Is a past president of the Northern Kentucky Superintendent’s Association. n Was a member of the Kentucky Commissioner of Education’s Superintendents Advisory Committee. n Presented at the annual Educational Leadership Reform Conference in Shanghai, China. Sander earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and secondary education from Thomas More College. He holds a master’s in mathematics and secondary education, with educational leadership credentials, from Northern Kentucky University. With a superintendent certificate through coursework at Xavier University, Sander earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Kentucky. He is a member of the National Center See JUMP on Page 15