Hear! Hear!

Pontiac fortunate to have Paramore

Thursday, March 19, 2009 6:19 AM EDT
By The Oakland Press

Amid all of the dramatic changes that the Pontiac Board of Education has approved and has been overseeing recently, it took some administrative action that might not have gained a lot of notoriety.

However, it was clearly a wise and prudent move.

The board approved a new agreement with acting Superintendent Linda Paramore, as well as several other administrators.As superintendent, Paramore has been responsible for instituting and overseeing the many actions the board has authorized.

And Paramore deserves credit for doing a stellar job.She was named the district’s interim chief academic officer in June of 2007 and worked for a year to restructure schools to improve student achievement. She was named interim superintendent in July of 2008 to replace former interim Calvin Cupidore until a new permanent superintendent is hired.

Paramore is a retired curriculum administrator from the Southfield school district and came to Pontiac schools as a consultant through the Oakland Intermediate School District.Her credentials are impressive.

This is her 41st year in education. She worked for the Detroit Public School System for 27 years, serving first as a teacher and then working her way up to counselor, assistant principal, principal and finally to an assistant to the superintendent.

She then took her skills to the Southfield School District, where she worked for 10 years. She was principal of Levey Middle School during time the school was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon school.While at Southfield, she became an associate superintendent for instruction.

It’s easy to see why Paramore has been so successful throughout her career and why she has done an excellent job in Pontiac.Any school district needs a strong administrator as well as a board of education that isn’t afraid to make critical decisions and follow through with them. But with the financial problems in Pontiac, the ability to take a disciplined course of action involves considerable courage from all concerned, particularly because of the pressure from many parents and employees who say they want change and an improved school system but often resist it when they are directly affected.

The board and administration are valiantly moving forward with plans to consolidate the district’s high schools and middle schools, as well as close some buildings because of the school’s declining enrollment and looming $12 million deficit.In addition to all of this work, the board is restarting an aggressive search for a new superintendent.

They will be following a tight timeline.Deadline for applications is set for April 6. The board will review applications and check backgrounds of candidates. Consultant Mike Wilmot and the district’s attorney will select the top five April 7.The first round of interviews will be between April 13 and April 27. Two finalists will be selected and a second round of interviews will be set for the week of May 4.

Trustee visits to the candidates’ school districts will be the week of May 11 and a decision will be made May 18.

One thing is clear, whomever gets the job will have huge shoes to fill in following Paramore. In a very short time, she and the board have accomplished more than was what achieved over the past 20 years by many previous boards and administrators.