A Look at Dr. Burns's Strategy Team

Here's an organizational chart of the Strategy Team:

First, the similarities: The school board continues to set the policies for the Wake County Public School System. The superintendent continues to act as their agent to implement their policies and provide leadership for WCPSS's employees and students. The head of Internal Audit, the division heads, and the area superintendents continue to report directly to the superintendent.

But there are some changes that are designed to better support the focal point of everything we do, which is in the center of the chart: our schools, and within them, our students.

Let's start on the right side of the chart, with what used to be called the area assistant superintendents. The word "assistant" has been dropped; the area superintendents will have additional resources, authority, and accountability for the performance, effectiveness and safety of the schools they serve in their regions. The solid lines show a direct reporting relationship between area superintendents and the schools' principals. As our student population continues to grow throughout the county, the schools assigned to a given area superintendent will change. The area superintendents are:

• Central Wake County: Jonibel Willis
• Eastern Wake County: Danny Barnes
• Northern Wake County: Ann Hooker
• South Central Wake County: Julye Mizelle
• Southern Wake County: Lloyd Gardner
• Western Wake County: Kathy Chontos

Of course, it wouldn't be very efficient for WCPSS to provide six separate transportation, nutrition, security, and academic support organizations for each area. And that's where the left side of the chart comes in -- working with each area superintendent to provide resources to support each school. The dashed lines between them and the schools indicate such a supporting relationship. The division heads, formerly called associate superintendents, are the chief officers for the school system:

• Chief Academic Officer: Dr. Donna Hargens
• Chief Business Officer: David Neter
• Chief Communications Officer: Michael Evans
• Chief Facilities and Operations Officer: Don Haydon
• Chief Technology Officer: Beverly White
• Chief of Staff: Terri Cobb

This leaner strategy team, along with a broader leadership team that includes the assistant superintendents that report to the chief officers, will guide WCPSS using Dr. Burns's four areas of emphasis:

• Focus on teaching and learning
• Retention, recruitment and training of high quality employees
• Development and implementation of systems and structures to support schools, ensure accountability, and engage the community
• Expansion of the focus on fiscal accountability

And all of this happens in an environment that must foster community input and participation, represented as the background of the chart. If our schools -- your schools -- are the focal point, our community is our foundation.

Do you have any questions about the new WCPSS Strategy Team? Leave your comments using the feedback link below.