District Inches Closer to New Superintendent

When the 2011-2012 school year begins next fall for school district, the classrooms and textbooks might be the same, but the face of the superintendent will be replaced by one of three candidates chosen by the school board.

The district's school board has selected three finalists, and the board expects to announce one of them as the next superintendent in December.  Current superintendent announced last school year that he would retire at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.

"Our board's goal was to follow a transparent process that resulted in qualified candidates and involved all our stakeholders," said Les Lentz, president of the district's school board. "Our goal is to select the right person to build on Ferguson-Florissant's successful history."

Last Friday, the district held three public forums where parents, teachers and other community members had the opportunity to hear from finalists Dr. Art McCoy, Dr. Kym Dyce Faucette and Michael Munoz as well as ask questions to them.

"We are impressed with the three individuals selected as finalists and delighted that so many employees, parents and neighbors participated in last week's meet-the-candidate forums," Lentz said.

Each candidate has a great deal of years and experience in educational environments and took different paths to the road of finalist for superintendent of the Ferguson-Florissant School District. The candidates could not be reached for comment about the position.

Dr. Faucette currently serves as the chief of staff for the Rochester City Public Schools. As a member of the superintendent's executive cabinet, she assists in the operation of serving more than 30,000 children within the school district from preschool through high school.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Faucette has worked as an educator and administrator for the district.

According to her biography, "Her goal is to become Superintendent of Schools and lead a school district to academic success for all students and secure a core of highly qualified employees to make the success of these students a reality."

She's currently enrolled in the Future Superintendents Academy through the Leadership for Educational Achievement Foundation (LEAF) and completes her development coursework in June 2011.

Munoz comes a little closer to the Midwest region as the Chief Academic Officer of Des Moines Public Schools. Munoz started as a middle and high school teacher and worked his way into the administrative side of education.

With six years at the largest school district in Iowa of his 32 years in education, Munoz has continued to focus on increasing graduation rates and closing the achievement gap of students.

"Children are the driving force behind every decision [Munoz] makes, and this is why he chooses to be the new superintendent for Ferguson-Florissant School District," according to Munoz's biography. "His career goal is to make a positive difference for as many children as possible.  It is his ambition to combine his range of experience with his ability to be a leader who strives for the highest standards of student performance and achievement to make a positive contribution to your school district and community. "

 The third finalist of the superintendent candidates is Dr. McCoy, who's the lone St. Louis native and currently works in the Ferguson-Florissant school district. He currently serves as the assistant superintendent for secondary education and oversees more than 6,000 students.

Dr. McCoy has worked throughout the St. Louis area in a number of school districts, including the Pattonville School District, St. Charles School District and Rockwood School District.

Through a number of roles as teacher and an administrator, Dr. McCoy has some clear-cut goals if named superintendent.

"His vision, as the next Superintendent of Schools, for Ferguson-Florissant is clear: excellence in education through continuous improvement; equity through action and distinction in performance as a district; greater character, concern, and commitment (engagement) from and for the community," he said in his biography.

Current superintendent Jeff Spiegel expects the school board to announce his successor before the schools' winter break.