SALISBURY- Three finalists with local ties to Wicomico County are vying to become its next Superintendent of Public Schools.
Wicomico County Public Schools should have a new Superintendent by early April, as its nine-month search for Dr. John Frederickson’s replacement is coming to an end.
More than a dozen candidates applied to take over the Superintendent’s position in Wicomico County after Frederickson announced last June that he would be retiring at the end of this school year.
Frederickson has held the post for eight years and boasts more than 40 years of public education experience. He also may have been the first superintendent in school history to also have a rock band.
Dr. Lorenzo L. Hughes
This week, the three finalists, who all have local ties to the county, spent a “day in the district,” meeting with teachers, students, community leaders, and the board of education.
“We’ve done the day in the district event the last two superintendent searches and I think it has helped our community find the right choice for the job,” said Tracy Sahler, Wicomico County Public School’s Public Information Officer. “I think the way the search is being conducted is a very transparent and engaging way to help the community feel as though they have a say on who the next superintendent will be.”
The three finalists include the current Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services in Wicomico County, Dr. Cathy J. Townsend; Dorchester County Public School’s current Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Lorenzo L. Hughes; and Dr. Donna C. Hanlin, the co-chair and director of Assessment and Accountability at the Department of Education at Shepherd University.
All three candidates have past experience in Wicomico County, which differs from Frederickson, whom, despite have decades of experience, came to the region from Minnesota.
Hughes served as assistant principal of Wicomico High School from 2005 to 2009 and helped raise the student body’s average grade point averages from 2.09 to 2.34 during his tenure. Hughes was also instrumental in helping boost African-American students’ graduation rates in Wicomico County by 20 percent and their overall GPA’s, all while helping to decrease disciplinary and suspension numbers at the school.
Hughes has also been lauded for his ability to secure millions of dollars in grant funding throughout his career to augment instructional and student service programs.
Dr. Cathy Townsend
Dr. Cathy Townsend has spent her entire career on the Eastern Shore and has held her current position since 2011. Born and raised in Wicomico County, Townsend is a Wicomico Senior High School graduate (class of 1973), and a Salisbury State College in 1977.
Townsend began her teaching career in Worcester County before moving back to her home district in 1983. She has been both the assistant principal and the principal of Salisbury Middle school and served as the principal of Delmar Middle and High School as well.
Dr. Donna C. Hanlin is also a Salisbury native, a graduate of James M. Bennett High School, and she spent 26 years teaching in the school district before moving to Hagerstown to work in Washington County Public Schools.
Hanlin is known for her strong track record in reducing achievement gaps, increasing graduation rates, and improving school climate.
Dr. Donna C. Hanlin
Sahler says each candidate will spend their “day in the district” at an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school in the county, before going through scheduled meetings with community groups, and the board of education.
“It would be impossible for the candidates to go to each of our 26 schools in one day,” said Sahler, “But I think it’s good that they get to be in front of students and our community stakeholders, and share their vision and their experience.”
Sahler says on a personal level, while she enjoyed her years of working with Dr. Frederickson, she’s looking forward to the future.
“I could never count the amount of hours that Dr. Frederickson puts in to this job that are not necessarily related to the job,” said Sahler, “But a new leader often brings a new level of excitement to the job, and I think that every good leader brings something different to the table.”
Sahler asserted that the Wicomico Board of Education’s goal has always been to name a new superintendent by early April, and says she has no reason to believe that the timeline has changed in any way.
Regardless of when the choice is made, it appears the community-wide effort to choose a new superintendent will undoubtedly choose a leader with major ties to its community, and not someone else’s.