New Guilford County Superintendent Aims To Strengthen Pathways For Children

Guilford County Schools is beginning the year under new leadership. Superintendent Sharon Contreras comes to the Triad from Syracuse City Schools in New York, where she served in the same role.

Her arrival comes at a pivotal time for the district. GCS was selected for Say Yes funding, which gives college scholarships to every student. Contreras says she wants to build on that, raise graduation rates, and close the achievement gap.

WFDD's Keri Brown sat with down with her to learn more about how her experiences, both personal and professional, will shape the future of Guilford County Schools.

Interview Highlights

On why she was drawn to Guilford County Schools:

I was first attracted to Guilford County when reviewing the school board's core values, which are diversity, empathy, equality, innovation and integrity. I also want to make sure every child meets their full potential.

On preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow by offering career training, and readying them for higher education:

I look forward to building upon them and strengthening those pathways. The graduation rate is among the highest in the state, in the country. I look forward to working to make sure every student goes off to college without having to take remedial course work, so it's a great thing that graduation rates are high, but I want to make sure that they are ready for college course work.

On her experience with the Say Yes To Education Partnership and how it could impact Guilford County Schools:

Syracuse was the initial Say Yes district, so we were still in development phase. Here in Guilford, the Say Yes model has really been refined. I think it's the framework that school districts should use for trying to meet all of the needs of students – when you think about all of the wrap-around services, making sure students have healthcare, mental health support, tutoring, extra time in school – it's really important if you want to move your district that you use that sort of framework and model to improve. That's one of the reasons I was attracted to Guilford because I know Say Yes. I know what that model can do for not only our students, but families and communities, so I'm very excited to work with Say Yes again.

On some of the challenges she sees in GCS:

I'm about to begin a listening and learning tour to talk with educators, students and parents about their experience with Guilford County Schools. The challenge that I see that comes up most often is budget, so when I ask about things that seem to be areas that other districts may have already dealt with or have that particular resource, it's difficult in this district. One example was when I asked about GPS systems on buses and how do parents know where the bus is, and what time it's arriving. I was told we don't have the budget to put that system on the bus. I know the district wants to do that, so those sorts of things have come up every single day, multiple times a day and I will be looking at 'are we using resources in the most efficient way?' Maybe we are. Maybe we just are not receiving as much funding to run a great school district.

On being the first woman to hold the superintendent post full time in GCS and on being the first woman of color to serve the role in one of New York's largest districts:

I don't think about it a great deal, but I understand and I acknowledge that it means a great deal to many people and I try to encourage them and just be a role model, letting them know there's nothing impossible and you can be anything that you aspire to be. I'm very proud of it and what I want people to say about me is not necessarily that 'she was the first woman', but 'wow, she did great things for kids.'

On how her struggle with hearing loss has impacted her personally and professionally:

It's made me a much more empathetic, compassionate educator. Until you go through something like this, you really have no idea how people with disabilities struggle in their day-to-day existence. Thinking about rooms all of the time. I really have to look at my schedule and while most people will look at their schedule and see they have an appointment, I look to see where the appointment is, what the room is like. Will I be able to hear? Will I need a staff member to sit next to me? So, I think about that all of the time. And what I think is the saddest to me about this is I don't hear young children's voices. I can hear them talking, but I can't make out all of their words all of the time. But other than that, I see myself as an overcomer and I will never allow this to keep me down in any way and I want other people with disabilities to know that they can do whatever they want to do, they can be whatever they want to be.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news