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Superintendent Finalist Dr. Mike Looney Visits the Community
Dr. Mike Looney
Superintendent
Finalist
Thank you to the many individuals who joined us last week for the introduction of Dr. Mike Looney as the final candidate for the Superintendent of Fulton County Schools. After the announcement at our Sandy Springs location, he had a packed three-day schedule across the district and demonstrated his willingness to engage, and importantly, listen to our community.
In addition to the five Meet & Greet events, which included stops at Centennial, Banneker, Roswell and Westlake High Schools, Dr. Looney, or “Mike” as he prefers to be called, visited Ocee, Heards Ferry and Park Lane Elementary Schools, Bear Creek and Northwestern Middle Schools, and an exciting tour of the FCS College and Career Academy. He also spent time with elected officials, business partners and community leaders at meetings in Union City, Sandy Springs and Alpharetta.
His extensive knowledge in teaching and learning was on display throughout the interactions. As he met students in the classroom, he immediately fell into the role of teacher; during his conversation with parents and teachers, he explained the principles of reading instruction and how critical reading competency by 3rd grade is to future growth; and when speaking with community leaders, he outlined the need for strong partnerships.
This personal interaction with so many in our FCS family and Fulton County at-large, has shown his dedication to listen and learn. He stated many times his plan would be to come and learn about our community and bring his experience to help guide the schools together, in what he termed a “shared leadership” model. Mike was also willing to face tough questions with great candor and demonstrated a commitment to transparency.
But, that isn’t all.
The Board wanted to ensure not only that you got a chance to meet Mike; we also took the time this week to visit his current district in Williamson County, TN. We met with his Board, staff, teachers, community leaders and those who know him well in his current role. With almost ten years as Superintendent, he has deep roots in the county, and many were sad to see him go. However, the individuals we spoke with gave his leadership high marks and confirmed many of the things we had heard in the interview process that led up to making him the finalist.
Please know, the public input process is still ongoing and there is still an opportunity for you to provide your feedback and ask questions. Please take time to contact us at boardservices@fultonschools.org. We will update the community on next steps once the 14-day public input period is complete.