Principal appointed Community Superintendent

Principal Darryl Williams was appointed Community Superintendent by the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) on Thursday, April 28, at a BOE board meeting. Williams will take his role as Community Superintendent for the Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, Watkins Mill, Magruder and Damascus school cluster on July 1. The process of selecting a new principal for Blair will involve the input of students, staff, parents and administrators and will begin in the coming weeks.

After going through a selection process, Williams was officially chosen as the Community Superintendent for those five high schools and all of their respective feeder schools — 47 schools in total, according to the MCPS website. In this position, Williams will provide support and guidance to schools within his cluster, work with officials to resolve issues and help the schools meet various targets with stakeholders.

Williams' two interviews for the position were the week before spring break; the first was in front of a panel and his second was with Superintendent Jerry Weast and other executive staff. The BOE then reviewed Weast's nomination and appointed Williams. Details of Williams' appointment were released Thursday evening to colleagues and sent home in a letter with students on Friday. "While I am excited about this opportunity, it is with sadness that I leave our great school," Williams wrote in the letter.

The principal selection process in MCPS requires contribution from the entire community and will begin within the next few weeks. According to PTSA President Tom Jacobson, parents, students and staff will have a chance to meet with Bronda Mills, Community Superintendent of the Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Northwood and John F. Kennedy school cluster, to create a list of attributes to look for in the principal selection process. Mills will begin the search for a new Blair principal with a meeting on May 5. Applicants to the position will be later interviewed by a MCPS panel as part of the application process. "We need the principal in place by July 1 at the latest, but ideally we want one by May 23, which is the next Board of Education Meeting," Jacobson said.

Although Williams will not be a part of the search for a new principal, he is committed to helping the appointee. "I am slowly transitioning and learning about my new job while still operating at Blair, and I am committed to helping the new principal make a smooth transition into the job once they are appointed," Williams said.

Williams has worked at Blair for four years and has greatly helped the school with Advanced Yearly Progress (AYP) and academic achievement as a whole. His overarching goal of trying to increase student achievement took a strong partnership of students, parents and staff, according to Williams.

Jacobson is sad to see Williams leave. "He will be greatly missed because he has achieved a lot but should be congratulated for his high level of performance," Jacobson said.

Claudine Biggs, Blair's administrative secretary, believes Williams will similarly excel in his new position. "He is truly tremendous, easy to work with, self-sufficient and will make an excellent community superintendent because he has all the right skills," she said.