Dr. Earl Pettit has been selected as the next superintendent of the Douglas Unified School District.
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In a special meeting on Friday, the governing board decided to offer Pettit a contract, which he subsequently accepted.
Earl Pettit was superintendent at the Whiteriver Unified School District in Arizona, and principal at the Canyon Day Junior High School, also in Whiteriver. He has a bachelors in Sociology: Criminal Justice; masters in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership Program.
Pettit will be back in Douglas on Tuesday for the regular DUSD meeting to finish the negotiation process.
He said the contract will begin July 1, but he could begin at anytime. The district had discussed about bringing him on earlier to make for a smoother transition between current Superintendent Gail Zamar and Pettit. During that time, Pettit would be serving in a consultant post.
Pettit said he had intended to visit some additional school districts but after receiving an offer from the board and the good experience he had with the school visit on Thursday, the decision was easy.
“I was very impressed. The staff is very dedicated, very professional. They are truly passionate about what they do.
“I was impressed by the district facilities, particularly at the high school.”
He feels his previous experience at an Indian reservation district would help tremendously in Douglas.
“The area I was in was very politically sensitive. We had 128 reportable incidents (weapons, drugs, assault). That experience has helped me understand how to handle difficult situations, and I will br able to bring that knowhow to Douglas.”
He also has experience in bringing underperforming schools to performing and beyond.
“There is a problem because once a school is behind, it is hard to catch up because the bar raises every three years,” Pettit said.
“But we are so close that we should be able to meet and exceed the standards.”
Comments
sman wrote on Feb 28, 2008 3:56 PM:
Me wrote on Feb 27, 2008 9:20 PM:
sman wrote on Feb 27, 2008 5:34 AM: