Randy Bridges, who was named superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System in October, met with Elon faculty and staff Wednesday, May 2 to discuss his vision for local schools and answer questions. Details...
Bridges, who came to the Alamance-Burlington system after four years as
superintendent of Rock Hill, S.C., schools, said he has been in
“listening and learning mode” since his arrival. “I haven’t turned down
an opportunity to meet with a group of 500 or 5,” said Bridges, who
previously led public schools in neighboring Orange County, N.C.
Bridges noted that in addition to talking constantly with teachers,
parents and students, he has also been listening to a group that makes
up a majority of Alamance County residents—those who don’t have
children in the school system. “I want to find out what they expect as
a return on their investment.”
Bridges said he is just one of many new faces in the school system.
“The biggest thing that concerns me is the change in leadership. We
have 10 principals who are in their first year at their school, four
who are second-year principals and five who are in different schools
from last year. The good news is, they’re good people.”
Finding and retaining good principals is a cornerstone of his
philosophy, Bridges said. “I don’t think you have great schools without
great principals.” He endorses a committee approach to hiring new
principals, involving teachers and parents in the process, even
students at the high school level.
Teacher retention “is the issue I’ve engaged in more conversations
about” since starting his new job last fall, Bridges said. Retention is
a tremendous challenge for the Alamance-Burlington system because of
the salary supplements paid by nearby school sytems. While the A-B
system offers a 6 percent supplement to teachers, Orange County pays 10
percent and Guilford County pays 14. “In Chapel Hill, they pay teachers
with 25 years of service a 25 percent supplement, so if I’m a teacher
nearing retirement, and my retirement benefit is based on my last four
years’ salary, it’s a no-brainer for me to try to get a job there,”
Bridges said.
Bridges said he is formulating a budget for the next fiscal year and is
hoping to have the support of the county commissioners to fund more
than just mandatory items. “When it comes to the budget, if we’re
trying to just maintain what we have, we’re doing a big disservice to
our parents and our kids.”