Board Members Praise Dr. Hairston’s Vision, Integrity, and Devotion to Education

Streaming into the February 25th meeting of the Baltimore County Board of Education, visitors paused at a table to scoop up agendas, meeting exhibits, and, piled neatly on one corner, copies of an article from the current issue of School Administrator magazine.

In sad detail, it recounted the travails and all-too-short tenures of the modern American school superintendent, for whom the average duration in office is less than five years. It was titled, “Lonely at the Top.”

But for those who attended the February 25th Board meeting, it might have been a challenge to see how the title applied to Baltimore County’s Superintendent, Dr. Joe A. Hairston.

For while his reappointment that night to another four-year term reestablished Dr. Hairston at the top of Baltimore County’s public education community, it was also apparent that he is far from lonely.

Four years after he became Superintendent, Dr. Hairston admitted to being humbled as he listened to Board member after Board member – and, later, citizen after citizen – extol his integrity, vision, and passion for improving the academic opportunity for and performance of the county’s children. The crowded room of parents, teachers, and colleagues gave him a standing ovation.

“Every now and then you lose yourself in humility,” Dr. Hairston said following the Board’s unanimous vote to give him another term as schools chief. “This is one of those times.”

While Baltimore County’s Board had indicated its approval of Dr. Hairston’s job performance last year, and while his reappointment was widely anticipated, Board members made sure the record reflected their affection for Dr. Hairston and their enthusiasm for his leadership and vision.

James Walker quoted Shakespeare to signal his appreciation. Mike Kennedy noted how impressed he was not only in Dr. Hairston’s abilities but in those of his wife, Lillian, a social studies teacher at Owings Mills High School. And Board President James Sasiadek spoke movingly of a “tableau of children” in Baltimore County served by a “tapestry” of parents, educators, elected officials and others, most especially “one of the golden threads that binds us together as a family,” Joe Hairston.

“They are truly the first family of education in Baltimore County,” quipped Board President Sasiadek as he presented Lillian Hairston with a bouquet before the audience. Beside her, Dr. Hairston tightly clasped her hand and beamed.

“Don’t think it’s about just one person,” Dr. Hairston said later, thanking his wife, the Board, Deputy Superintendents Christine Johns and Robert Haines, Chief of Staff Merle Audette, and his administrative staff. “In terms of the work, this is a great school system and a great county.”

Board comments also highlighted Dr. Hairston’s accomplishments since coming to Baltimore County from the superintendency of the Clayton County, Ga., schools in 2000.
Early in his administration, Dr. Hairston set forth the system’s direction through the Blueprint for Progress, a document that continues to drive school and student performance. He won plaudits from Board members for revamping the way the annual $1 billion school system budget is prepared, compiled, and presented. And he led the system into a new era of data-driven results and initiatives, including the implementation and use of computer-based programs to track student, school, and systemwide progress.

During the past four years, Dr. Hairston worked with the Board to secure funding for and preside over the largest school renovation and major maintenance program in Baltimore County’s history. He opened the county’s first new high school in 25 years, and has worked well with employee representatives to advocate for increased salaries and benefits.

Dr. Hairston also has steered the school system through statewide adoption of a new program of accountability with the Maryland School Assessments and High School Assessments, and he has championed efforts to ensure Baltimore County’s understanding of and compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. During his first four years, the county saw a sharp increase in many indicators of student progress, including the SAT score and the number of students taking Advanced Placement tests.

“When I think about Dr. Hairston’s tenure here,” said Board member Jean Jung, “I am pleased about where we have come from and excited about where we are going.”

By statute, the Board had until March 1 to notify Dr. Hairston of its intention to rehire him. With the signing of a four-year contract, which will mean Dr. Hairston will guide the school system until June 30, 2008, the Board also raised the Superintendent’s annual salary from $185,000 to $230,000. His salary, which currently would be third highest in the state, corresponds with the size of the school system in Maryland.

Dr. Hairston’s new contract will go into effect beginning July 1. He is Baltimore County’s 17th school superintendent since 1853.

See event photos

Story and Photos by Charles Herndon Communications Officer