CMS Superintendent , Dr . Clayton Wilcox
CMS Superintendent , Dr . Clayton Wilcox
Dr . Clayton Wilcox , new superintendent at CMS
I ’ m Dr . Clayton Wilcox , the new superintendent at Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools . I was sworn in as superintendent on July 3 and I already have no doubt that it ’ s going to be an exciting year for our district .
School started Aug . 28 . We ’ ve got a new student-assignment plan that I believe will help us better serve our students . There ’ s also an important vote in November – our district has a request for a $ 922 million bond on the ballot . The bond will address 29 capital-needs projects that will benefit our students , including 10 new schools , seven replacement schools and 12 renovations and additions . Schools are part of the very fabric of our community and I encourage you to learn about the bond request and vote in November .
I ’ m learning a lot about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools but I ’ m still getting to know our students , our families and our schools . So I ’ m happy to have this opportunity to introduce myself to the readers of Parent-Teacher magazine .
My official biography is on the next page . It will give you an idea of where I ’ ve worked and my educational background . I ’ d like to use this first column to tell you a little about me and my educational philosophy – what I believe public education can do and how I think we should go about achieving those goals .
I grew up in Iowa . My father ran a gas station . My grandparents were from Mexico and I ’ m very proud of my Hispanic ancestry . I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from the University of Northern Iowa , and my doctorate in educational leadership from Southeastern University in Florida . My formal education also includes studying strategic planning and instructional design at the University of Michigan Graduate School of Business and Finance . I also studied information management and telecommunications , instructional assessment and employee-performance management at Viterbo College in Wisconsin .
I was a classroom teacher in Illinois and Iowa , then moved into human resources for a while before becoming an assistant principal and then a principal . I ’ ve directed personnel services for a school district in Florida . I have been a superintendent in East Baton Rouge , Louisiana ; Pinellas County in Florida , and most recently , in Washington County ( Hagerstown ), Maryland .
I also spent time in education and corporate relations at Scholastic , Inc .
So what do I believe about public education ? I believe that our schools need to serve all kids well , regardless of their background , experiences or circumstance . I believe we can best do that with great leadership , great teaching , big-picture literacy , a guaranteed and viable curriculum and great schools .
I am a husband , a father and a teacher . I start each day early – and I like going to work . I ’ m usually positive , mostly thoughtful and I try to see the big picture . I have a sense of humor . I ’ m honest , loyal and committed .
In terms of leadership of CMS , I ’ ll be honest : I ’ m not a new-program kind of guy . I don ’ t believe a single program or partnership will enable us to buy our way out of the challenges we face . I don ’ t believe in silver bullets .
But I do believe in silver BBs . What does that mean ? It means that the challenges we face must be addressed with a variety of strategies and resources . No single strategy or resource will transform CMS . But a carefully chosen and very wide range of them will .
To that end , I think we as educators should always review our practices and change the ones that don ’ t serve the best interests of kids and families in our district . I don ’ t believe in change just for the sake of change . It doesn ’ t serve kids and families well .
I also believe that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a great large-city district . It has earned a national reputation and that recognition is well deserved . That recognition is gratifying but it is also a little dangerous . William Pollard said , “ The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow .” For our district and our students , what we did yesterday won ’ t suffice for tomorrow – or even today .
We can ’ t afford to rest comfortably on the status quo , excellent as it may be . We must celebrate our past success but also press forward to the next challenge and the next innovation . We must recognize that technology is pervasive in our work , because it is shaping the future workplace and social structure that our children will enter . Our children must be able to read , write , think , view , understand and be fluent in technology . It ’ s a 21 st -century literacy skill . As one of our parents who enrolled her son in our new Dorothy J . Vaughan Academy of Technology said , “ Technology is the future and I want my son to participate in that future .”
All of our kids should be able to participate in that future . As superintendent of CMS , I will work to make that happen . I am honored to be here and I look forward to serving the students and families of Mecklenburg County in our public schools .
Dr . Clayton Wilcox is the superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools .
2 • September / October 2017 • Parent Teacher Magazine