Principal Selection Process

Procedures for Principal Selection

The Superintendent’s office will declare the position vacant, and it will be filled according to the following procedures:

• The Area Superintendent for that school posts the vacancy in accordance with the posting policy.  The vacancy may also be advertised statewide, nationally, and in educational publications.  The Superintendent reserves the right to transfer and place an internal candidate into the vacancy at any time.
• Applicants respond to the posting and submit letters of interest and resumes to the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.
• Input is gathered by the Area Superintendent from school staff and parent/community members.  The input information is very important as it provides an opportunity for the school community to share/exercise their voice. It is a time to gather information, characteristics, background, and other data from the school community on what they consider to be essential elements for consideration when selecting and hiring a new principal.  
• The Area Superintendent reviews information gathered at the input sessions. This data is used to develop a candidate profile and interview questions.    
• The Area Superintendent conducts interviews with those candidates whose education and experience most closely match the candidate profile. 
• The candidates’ performance records, evaluations, reference checks, and any available assessment results are reviewed during the selection process.
• The Area Superintendent schedules a meeting for the top candidate(s) to interview with the superintendent. 
• The Superintendent makes a candidate recommendation to the Wake County Board of Education.  
• The Wake County Board of Education makes the final candidate decision.  

When the selected candidate is approved by the Wake County Board of Education, the Area Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources will notify the candidate, school leadership team chair, and PTA President.