ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 28, 1997 TAG: 9702280046
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
It may be the end of February, but it's harvest time for superintendents.
While the Montgomery County School system is beginning its search for a new leader, present Superintendent Herman Bartlett has been planting seeds in school systems across the country.
Thursday, the School Board in Horry County, S.C., announced Bartlett is one of 17 semifinalists for its top job. The board will likely pare down the list to four or five candidates, to be announced in a week.
In June, the Montgomery County School Board voted not to renew Bartlett's contract. Bartlett said he began an active search in January, when the search for new school leaders begins in earnest.
Bartlett wouldn't specify which other school systems are considering him, and he said he isn't sure if he'd take the Horry County job if offered to him.
He is looking to move up to a larger school system, where the student population is 25,000 or more. Montgomery County has more than 9,000 pupils.
Since he arrived nearly four years ago, Bartlett's tenure has been a mixed bag of controversy and success. In his first year, school employees gave him a D+ in a climate survey, mirroring a dislike by some staffers that is still pervasive today.
This year, a new elementary school in Riner is under construction and three more schools are likely to be in the works in coming years, an accomplishment Bartlett mentions with pride on his resume.
Bartlett said this week he knew he faced challenges when he came to Montgomery County, and never expected to spend the rest of his career here.
According to a reporter from a newspaper in Myrtle Beach, he could be facing even more challenges if the Horry County School Board selects him.
The school system has more than 26,000 students, 38 schools and battles an illiteracy rate of almost 25 percent. The previous superintendent and the School Board chairman were recently indicted for rigging bids for major computer purchases. Both charges were eventually dropped.
No matter where Bartlett chooses to work, he will be eligible for retirement benefits here. Under Virginia law, superintendents and county or city administrators are eligible for full benefits if they've served 25 years or more. Bartlett has worked his entire career in Virginia school systems. He'll begin receiving monthly payments in two years, when he turns 55.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB