Wake County School Board begins recruiting process for new superintendent

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A new superintendent will be taking over Wake County Public School System and be responsible for nearly 160,000 students districtwide.

Wake County School Board will be given a presentation Tuesday during a work session outlining the recruiting process. It could take more than six months to pick a replacement.

Superintendent Catty Moore is leaving July 1.

She's made history as the first woman and Latina to head WCPSS.

Wake County President of North Carolina Association of Educators, Christina Spears says Moore has done major work around equity during her time including the implementation of an equity policy.

"How do we look at equity as it relates to leadership and instruction practices. The hope is the board uses that policy as it makes all of its decisions," she said.

Wake's superintendent oversees nearly 200 schools and more than 10,000 teachers.

Wake County Education Partnership expects the school board will beginning figuring out way to include the community in the selection process and who will handle the search.

The board could hire a search firm or work with North Carolina Superintendent Association.

One of the biggest issues the next superintendent is going to face is the staffing shortage.

"Right now we do not have enough teachers to fill the positions we have in Wake County. We have students who, it's now what mid-February, that still haven't had a permanent teacher in front of them all year. They've had a rotating substitute. That's unacceptable and it's not something that in Wake County historically had has to deal with," said Keith Poston with Wake Education Partnership.