Steven L. Walts, Prince William County's first new school superintendent in 18 years, made his debut yesterday, telling parents and school administrators that he wants to close the achievement gap between minorities and whites and be an approachable leader.
"I'm a person who likes to get as close as possible to the people," said Walts, 50, now superintendent in Greece, N.Y. "This is a very exciting day and moment."
Steven L. Walts, who will start in Prince William on July 1, is joined by his wife, Kathleen, and daughter Delaney, 2.
(Photos Margaret Thomas -- The Washington Post)
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Walts is scheduled to start his new job July 1, succeeding Edward L. Kelly, the longtime superintendent who had sought a two-year contract extension but was told by School Board members that it was time for a change. Walts was hired this month with a four-year contract and an annual salary of $215,000.
Accompanied yesterday by his wife, Kathleen, and 2-year-old daughter, Delaney, Walts told the gathering at the School Board headquarters about growing up with five brothers in rural Great Bend, Kan. Then he rattled off statistics about the large school districts he helped oversee in the 1990s -- in Wichita and Baltimore County -- before taking charge of the small Greece school district in Upstate New York in 1998.
"Baltimore County at the time had 106,000 students, was the 25th-largest in the country, had 17,000 staff members and 164 schools," he said, addressing concerns that Greece would not have prepared him for Northern Virginia's second-largest school district. "My experience in three states led me to this position. I will need a great deal of help and will need to do a lot of listening and learning."
Then the floor was opened to media questions. One came from Matt Butler, 17, a reporter for the Yellow Jacket, the student newspaper at Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, who asked how he will balance the pressure to prepare children for standardized tests with other educational needs.
Somebody in the audience hooted and yelled: "Great question! Whoo!"
Walts replied: "Thank you, Matt. Like it or not . . . it's a challenge to withstand public pressure. It does not feel good if your school is not meeting" federal benchmarks.
When asked whether he is a "top-down" leader or prefers empowering school principals, Walts said the answer depended on the scenario. "I don't have a management style that is a one-size-fits-all approach," he said, adding that he is more inclined to make changes in schools that are not performing well than in those that are doing fine.
"I will not be an armchair superintendent," Walts said. "You will find me in the buildings, because that's where the rubber meets the road."
Walts acknowledged the anxiety over the "changing of the guard" after so many years and said any major changes would be "thoughtfully made."
Afterward, during a reception, he chatted with parents and administrators and fielded a pressing question about whether he will ever declare a single snow day in Prince William County after his seven years in the Snow Belt.
"Uh, I'll have to change my expectations," he said, laughing.
