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Principals praise LEAD pipeline and community superintendents, warn against eliminating the role
Summary
Multiple principals and a community superintendent described the LEAD pipeline, community superintendent role and district learning communities as essential supports for principals and student outcomes and warned that removing those roles would damage capacity and responsiveness.
Shane Harwood, Rock Point Learning Community superintendent, and several principals told the board that community superintendents and the LEAD leadership pipeline are critical to supporting principals and improving student outcomes.
Harwood described community superintendents as “principal supervisors and supporters” who act as primary contacts for 76 school principals, providing observations, coaching, action‑plan monitoring and connections to district support teams. He said the role facilitates timely responses to school needs and supplies a “connector” to district academic and social‑emotional resources.
Andy LaFever, principal at Snow Hill Elementary, described his participation in the LEAD aspiring assistant‑principal and principal programs, credited the pipeline with mentoring and leadership support, and provided school‑level evidence of impact: LaFever said Snow Hill’s kindergarten reading level rose from 22 students on grade level in August to 81 students on grade level during the year, a change he attributed to targeted instructional supports and the k–2 initiative.
Lee Ziegler, principal of Hixson High School, and LeAngela Rogers, a principal who recently moved to Central High, also credited the learning community structure and community superintendents with improved leadership support and school outcomes. Rogers warned that removing the community superintendent layer would “isolate principals” and reduce the district’s ability to respond quickly to urgent school matters.
At least one speaker asked the board to consider a future referendum to provide additional school funding; Harwood said he was hopeful a budget could be passed and that community members might later be allowed to vote on additional school funds.
No formal board action to eliminate community superintendents or the LEAD program was recorded during the meeting.
