Taylor Connard

Education 650

Assistant Superintendent Interview

1. Tell me about your district.

Clay County Schools is located in Central West Virginia. The county is one of the poorest

in the state, but continues to compete at the top academically. We are a county that

prides itself on our ability to take care of our kids no matter what.

2. Tell me about your job duties and responsibilities.

Well, I pretty much do just a bit of everything. The things that I am responsible for are

WVEIS, Instructional Leadership, Federal Programs, Personnel, Service Personnel,

Grants, Policies and Procedures, Civil Rights Report, Professional Monitoring, Marshall

Cohort, Afterschool Program, Strategic Plan, and Glenville/WVSU classes.

3. What are your strengths?

I can write really well, which comes in handy for grants and writing news articles. I am a

positive team player, but also can crack down and be a leader when I need to be. I

always do what is in the best interest for the kids.

4. What are your goals?

Retire. Seriously, it is time to retire. More seriously, I want to make sure that our

students’ needs are met more than we already are. We have also fallen down the charts

on student achievement, we need to get that back.

5. What are your present major concerns?

 Student achievement again. Making sure we are meeting the needs of our virtual

students. Covid-19 for sure. Getting summer school back on track so that we can monitor

student needs.

6. What future concerns are anticipated?

Declining enrollment. Last year we were at 1764 in the county, but this year we are down

to 1713. We cannot find kids and that is concerning. If we continue to lose enrollment,

we will lose money.

7. What have you done to improve this district’s capacity to better meet the needs of

students?

We need to continue to apply for grants to receive money for student needs. We must

recruit personnel and better train the personnel that we have. We also need to bring in

more professional development.

8. What do you need, expect, or hope for from your principals?

I need them to always advocate for the kids. They need to create a warm and caring

environment. They also have to make the hard decisions and accept that not everyone is

going to agree with them.

9. From your experience from working with your district/school, what advice would

you give a new administrator?

We have discussed this a lot over your days shadowing, but at the end of the day you

must always do what is best for the kids. Stay organized and document everything.
10. What activities would you suggest I undertake during my internship to better

understand and/or work with your district?

Work on as many school projects as you can. Help lighten the load of what your

administrators are doing, you will learn best this way.