SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — SCCPSS has officially started its superintendent search and community members say they want the next superintendent to be a strong leader that cares about every single person within the entire district. 

The search is on for who will be the next superintendent of Savannah Chatham County Public Schools. Thursday, SCCPSS board members and Mcmillan and Associates – a local consultant firm held the first information session at Jenkins High School. 

People in attendance took a survey on what qualities, experience, and skills they would like to see in the next superintendent. 

“I came out here today because I think finding a great new superintendent for Savannah school system who cares about all of our schools and all of our children is really important,” said parent Michelle Solomon

Once surveys were completed – the floor opened up for discussion. many parents voicing their feelings including Michelle Solomon who says she wants the new superintendent to focus on hiring more staff. 

“Having a superintendent who cares really about our staff and supports them and makes Savannah-Chatham schools an amazing place to work is really important because everything hinges on the people who work here,” Solomon said. 

Parents weren’t the only ones who voiced their opinions — Coco Gutherie-Papy – Director Of Public Policy for Deep Center stressed the importance of poverty being a big problem that needs to be addressed.

Guthrie-Papy said, “We tend to have kinda the reflex to blame teachers, blame administrators, blame parents, blame schools and what we really need to be doing is looking at the challenge of poverty that specifically generational poverty really is doing in our community right. I would say that is the number one challenge of any superintendent who’s going to come into this community solely.”

SCCPSS will hold two more additional information sessions on March 22 and March 27.

For more information regarding the search, click here.