AACPS Superintendent Search: Residents Can Share Thoughts On Survey

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County Public Schools asked for the community's feedback on its ongoing superintendent search. Current Superintendent George Arlotto announced late last year that the school board did not offer him a third contract.

Students, staff, families and residents can complete a survey to share their thoughts on what makes an ideal candidate until 4 p.m. Monday. The questionnaire, which opened on March 7, is available in English and Spanish at this link.

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education announced on March 1 that it will also partner with consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates.

This superintendent search consultant will interview representatives from 11 AACPS groups to hear their thoughts. Each school board member nominated three additional community stakeholder groups to participate in similar interviews with the firm.

The consultant will then use all this input to create a leadership profile report. Officials will release this information publicly, and the board will use the report to guide its decision-making.

The Board Of Education previously launched a committee to lead the search for Arlotto's replacement. Board Member Corine Frank is the chair. Fellow board members Dana Schallheim, Gloria Dent and Melissa Ellis are also on the committee.

Additional details are available at aacps.org/superintendentsearch. The school system will update that webpage as developments happen.

By state law, a new or interim superintendent must start on July 1. That's the beginning of the next fiscal year for AACPS.

"I have every intention to continue my work on behalf of our students and school system until my contract expires," Arlotto wrote in a Dec. 2, 2021 letter to AACPS families and employees. "I wish our Board, our awesome staff, our families, and the Anne Arundel community only the best as you move forward, collectively, to support, nurture, and love our students."

Reflecting On Arlotto's Tenure

The school board first appointed Arlotto to a four-year term on July 1, 2014. He started a second term on July 1, 2018.

Arlotto joined AACPS in 2006 after working as a teacher and a high school administrator in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Montgomery County. He was a member of the superintendent’s senior and executive staffs from 2006 through June 2014. In that time, Arlotto served as:

• Director of high schools
• Chief school performance officer
• Assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and school performance
• Associate superintendent
• Chief of staff

"While I may not know where life’s journey will take me next, I am certain that AACPS will continue to thrive," Arlotto said. "As a school system focused on the needs of students, orchestrated by thoughtful, caring, compassionate, talented and professional educators and staff, our students will continue to grow and succeed."

The superintendent was proud to work with a dedicated school system. In particular, Arlotto applauded his workers' innovation during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Over the course of this extended and exhaustive time, they have repeatedly reinvented the education being delivered in our classrooms and the supports we have provided to students," the superintendent said. "Their heart and resolve has been unparalleled."

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman thanked Arlotto for his work and wished AACPS luck in its hunt for a new leader.

"Dr. Arlotto is a consummate professional with a huge heart and an unwavering commitment to children and education," Pittman said in a press release. "I am confident that Dr. Arlotto will facilitate a smooth transition, and that the Board of Education will choose wisely after a careful search for the superintendent who will lead us into the future."

RELATED:

• AACPS Superintendent Search Timeline Released By School Board
• Superintendent Arlotto Won't Return Next School Year: AACPS

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