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Abernathy will greet public in Fayetteville |
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Friday, 25 April 2008 |
Bryant Superintendent Richard Abernathy and his family will take a closer look at the Fayetteville School District and the city next weekend.
Abernathy said he will greet the public Friday and Saturday, May 2-3. He currently is Fayetteville’s only candidate to succeed retiring Superintendent Bobby New.
Abernathy, 43, has served in the Bryant School District since 2003. He said he has not spoken with anyone from the Fayetteville School Board since Thursday night’s board meeting, but said he does want to visit the area with his family.
“I requested that I wanted to take my family up there to look around at the town, the schools and see what they think,” Abernathy said today.
Steve Percival, Fayetteville School Board president, said Abernathy will be scheduled to meet with the superintendent’s cabinet, principals, teachers, Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce members and parent-teacher organization representatives on May 2. Abernathy and his family will attend a two-hour public reception the following day.
Abernathy, who said he was encouraged to apply for the Fayetteville position by a school official there, soon became the lone contender for the position after the district began its search with 11 candidates. The field was reduced to four applicants by April 2, but the school board learned that two of the four candidates had taken other jobs. The board decided not to interview Fayetteville Associate Superintendent Randy Willison for the position.
On April 14, Abernathy met with the Fayetteville School Board for three and a half hours in executive session and answered a number of questions about his vision, leadership, finances and fiscal management, safety, security and facilities, district communication, compatibility, technology and student achievement. Percival said Abernathy seemed confident and honest with his answers.
“We talked about everything from general questions about his vision for a school district to specific questions such as community involvement and such,” Percival said. “He did a great job of talking about the success of his past, and he was very complimentary of Bryant. He had nothing but great things to say about them.”After the interview, Percival said, the board voted unanimously to continue the process of offering Abernathy the position. Percival said that he appreciates Bryant School Board President David Passmore for his professionalism through “a difficult situation” and that he “really appreciates him” through the process.
Both Abernathy and Passmore acknowledged that the Bryant board was informed of Abernathy’s decision to apply for the Fayetteville position. Passmore also said that he understands and even expected Abernathy to be a well-sought-after candidate throughout the state for his work with the Bryant School District.
“I hope that he is happy in Bryant and certainly we don’t want him to go, but he is a young and talented superintendent. He has been sought after before and if he decides to stay, he’ll be sought after again ... Others will want him. But we’ve been through this before and, honestly, I think this can be positive for Bryant. I think our school district is an example to model after and that starts with the superintendent.”
If Abernathy takes the job at Fayetteville, Bryant will be proactive in choosing his replacement, Passmore said. The superintendent’s position with the Fayetteville School District is expected to offer a significantly higher salary than Abernathy’s current salary of $142,151, but Abernathy said money is not the only factor weighing on his decision.
“That topic (money) hasn’t even come up yet,” Abernathy said. “There are a variety of factors to be weighed. It will not be based solely on compensation. It isn’t just about Richard Abernathy. My family has be happy with the decision. They have to think about what is best for Fayetteville, and I have to think about what is best for my family.”
If Abernathy becomes Fayetteville’s new superintendent, he would work with the retiring superintendent until June 30, 2009. The Fayetteville School Board hopes to have a superintendent hired by July 1 to work alongside New before his retirement.
“It is a unique situation,” said New, 60, who is in his 12th year at Fayetteville. “The current plan is to hire a superintendent-elect who would start working for the district next year. That person will be working beside me for some time, but I think that could help make a smooth transition and could give them a leg up.”
Abernathy said today that he has not made any decisions.
Abernathy holds several degrees from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, including a master’s degree, an education specialist certificate and a doctorate. He has been a teacher, principal and superintendent in several school districts including Paris, Alma, Clarksville, Lavaca and Ozark.
During Abernathy’s leadership, the Bryant School District has experienced a failed attempt in 2007 to approve 6.5 mills to finance reconstruction of Bryant High School and controversially annexed the former Paron School District in 2004.
Abernathy’s successes with the Bryant School District include opening the Hurricane Creek Elementary School and Bethel Middle School, which are certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design schools. Bethel is set to receive a plaque on Monday for being one of the first LEED-certified schools in the nation. The certification methodology was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
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