Kimberly Hill named next Superintendent of Charles County Public Schools

Kimberly Hill, principal of North Point High School, will be the next superintendent of Charles County Public Schools. The Board of Education of Charles County at its meeting today agreed to the appointment of Hill and a four-year contract with an annual salary of $200,000.
Hill's term as Superintendent begins July 1, and follows that of longtime Superintendent James E. Richmond, who is leaving at the end of the 2012-13 school year after 17 years at the helm and 47 years with Charles County Public Schools.
About Kimberly HillHill, 50, is a lifelong educator with 27 years experience as a teacher, vice principal and principal. She is a product of Charles County Public Schools, having graduated from Maurice J. McDonough High School in Pomfret where she also began her career as a social studies teacher in 1986. She then moved to administrative positions in Charles County as a vice-principal and principal at the high school level. Hill is the 2013 Principal of the Year for Charles County Public Schools and the recipient of the Washington Post's 2013 Distinguished Educational Leadership Award.
Hill currently serves as the principal of North Point High School in Waldorf. As the leader of the district's largest high school, Ms. Hill's focus is on high expectations for student achievement and the significance of each teacher's ability to "be the difference" in a student's life. North Point High School students have attained the highest graduation rate, the highest grade-point average and the highest attendance rate in the district. She says she strongly believes in the power of relationships based on honesty, transparency and trust. These core values drive her decision-making and empower others to engage in the vision of the organization, Hill said.
Hill earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from High Point University in North Carolina and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her research interests center around teacher effectiveness and the principal's role in the teacher evaluation process.
The Superintendent SearchBoard Chairman, Roberta Wise said, "Kim Hill is a talented educator who will work for all of Charles County's students. Charles County has made tremendous progress during the past 17 years, and Kim Hill is the right person to make our school system even stronger. She has an exceptional background in developing partnerships with the community and businesses, and she has a proven record of promoting academic achievement and excellence for all children. We looked nationwide for the candidate who can best take Charles County Public Schools to the next level, and we are delighted that Mrs. Hill has accepted the position."
Wise said selecting the superintendent is the single most important Board responsibility. During its national search, the Board focused on selecting an innovative, energetic and visionary candidate who will lead a high achieving school system by implementing strategies to promote continued academic growth. The Board was looking for a superintendent who will be a passionate advocate of children and who will work with the community to improve student achievement while embracing technology and working to narrow the achievement gap. Based on input from community forums held in October, the Board also looked for a candidate who understands the challenges of a growing rural/suburban and economically and culturally diverse school system. Mrs. Hill has the principles and skills that best meet the goals the Board hopes to achieve," Wise said.
Five goalsHill, along with two other finalists, recently met with focus groups ranging from students to principals to community and business leaders. During that time, Charles County's next superintendent shared the framework of a 90-day plan focusing on five goals: unsurpassed student achievement; positive, student-centered district culture; investment in stakeholder trust; optimizing effectiveness and efficiency; and trust and collaboration with Board members. For each goal, Hill outlined action steps for improvements. "It is important for us to celebrate our successes while constantly looking for ways to build upon them," Hill wrote. "This 90-day action plan provides an outline for where we can begin."
Hill said she plans to concentrate efforts to ensure students graduate high school prepared for success in college or in a career, and will analyze student achievement data to understand patterns and gaps as well as align curriculum to Common Core standards and implement it uniformly across schools.
Additionally, Hill says starting the first day in July she will meet with principals, parents, community leaders and others to build stakeholder trust and confidence and to nurture relationships that put children first.
"We face tremendous challenges as we implement the educational reforms that are taking place in our state. Among these are implementing the Common Core State Standards, adding student growth measures to our teacher and principal evaluation systems, and implementing new assessments under the Partnership for Readiness for College and Careers... As we face these significant challenges, we must rely on our greatest asset – our people... I am committed to the strength of our people and their ability to be the difference in the life of a child," Hill wrote in her 90-day plan.
Community focus groupsWise thanked employees and the community for support during the superintendent search. The Board conducted a search process with the help of consultants from the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE). The process involved the community in October through a series of five open public forums to gather input from staff, students and the community about what characteristics the public thought the Board should look for in a superintendent and what challenges the public believes the new superintendent will face. Public comments were used to develop the criteria used to assess candidate qualifications. In March, the Board announced three finalists for the position, and each candidate met with various staff, student and community groups. The Board combined and considered comments from the groups while making its hiring decision.
"I want to thank everyone who participated in the initial forums and those who served on the focus groups. Their feedback made our work as a Board easier as we learned what the public feels the experience, skills and abilities of the next superintendent need to be in order to build upon the successes of the past 17 years while moving forward to meet our school system's challenges and opportunities", Wise said.
Reception for Mrs. HillThe Board of Education invites members of the community to meet Hill at a meet-and-greet reception 4-6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 29, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata.
Maryland law requires Boards of Education to award a four-year contract, and the new superintendent's term begins July 1, 2013 and ends June 30, 2017.