The Anne Arundel County school board is expected to wrap up its yearlong search for a new schools chief today, when board members vote on a motion to make Eric J. Smith the next superintendent of the state's fifth-largest school system.
Smith has resigned from his job as head of the Charlotte, N.C., school system and he has agreed to the terms of a contract that will bring him to Anne Arundel. If the school board appoints him today, as expected, he will start work July 1. He would receive a salary of $197,000, plus a bonus and benefits valued at $100,000 a year.
The package has been criticized as excessive, and the selection process has been faulted for its secrecy and lack of public involvement. But school board members said it was all necessary to attract a top leader.
"We got who I believe is one of the top superintendents in the nation," said board member Joseph H. Foster, who led the search. "That's what we intended to do, and that's what we did."
He added, "Sometimes you have to think big. You can't always think small. If you want to move forward, sometimes it costs a few extra bucks to do it."
The board will take one glance back before Smith arrives. On June 19 - less than two weeks before Smith's starting date - the board will hold a ceremony to dedicate its Annapolis headquarters to former superintendent Carol S. Parham.
Parham retired in December after 8 1/2 years as schools chief, and the board decided at that time to put her name on its building. She was the county's first female and first African-American superintendent. She is credited with securing more money for the school system, reducing the school maintenance backlog and helping the county schools move past an embarrassing sex scandal.
The school system is printing several hundred invitations to the dedication, which is open to the public. It's scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 19 at the board's Riva Road headquarters.
"I think the timing is going to be perfect," said board President Carlesa R. Finney. The new superintendent, she said, will be able to quickly build on the foundation Parham laid.
"He's not coming into a district that's full of crises," Finney said. "He'll be able to do his craft here to affect student performance."
Smith, who was at a White House ceremony yesterday and could not be reached for comment, announced his resignation in Charlotte late last month and will officially leave that job by June 30. The board there agreed to pay him a $49,000 bonus, on top of his $196,000 salary, for his work during this school year.
During Smith's six years as Charlotte superintendent, test scores rose across the board, including among low-income and minority students. The Anne Arundel board expects similar results here. Scores in Arundel have been above the state average, but they have stagnated during the past six years.
The board began its search for a new superintendent in June last year, after Parham made her surprise retirement announcement. A national search firm was hired, and it drew up a short list of candidates that was delivered to the board in February.
Smith was the board's "No. 1 choice from the beginning," Foster said, adding the board was willing to do what was necessary to lure him here - including paying him about $50,000 more than Parham.
"I was a little bit concerned about that to begin with," Foster said, "but when you see what the market is and the quality of the person we've attracted - it will pay off in terms of benefits to the students, many times over.
"Now we go into high gear."
Also today, the school board is expected to vote on a proposed policy change designed to protect gay students and teachers from harassment and discrimination. The proposal would add sexual orientation to the list of protected categories, which include race, sex and religion.