Superintendent Candidate Interviews: Meet Frederick Clarke

Frederick Clarke, superintendent of Albion Public Schools

About 25 members of the community turned out to see the final round of Rochester Community Schools superintendent interviews Thursday night. The Board of Education is searching for a replacement for , who is retiring at the end of this year.

Clarke came prepared for Thursday night's interview with a pamphlet called "Pathways to Rochester Community Schools" which outlined his qualifications and experience for the position. He shook the hand of each board member before sitting down to a series of 14 questions asked of all the candidates.

Clark said he spent time in Rochester with his wife of 17 years, Iracema, last weekend. His wife is a Spanish teacher and she sat in the audience during the interview. They have two sons.

Clarke has coached baseball and worked with scouting. He said he enjoys finding avenues to get out into the community in his role as superintendent.  "The superintendent has to be approachable," he said. "I am very down-to-earth."

On the budget

"You have to get to the bare bones and start cutting," Clarke said of managing the budget during a time of dwindling funding. "The center circle is the classroom. You have to try to stay as far away from the center circle as possible."

Due to the declining enrollment of 90-100 students each year, the Albion district has not been able to maintain a stable fund equity balance. "We have had to do budget cuts to the tune of millions of dollars," he said.

Clarke stressed the need for transparency and relationship building.

On board relations

Clarke called the relationship with the board a "team of eight." He said he relies heavily on good communication between the board, the community and the superintendent to keep the district running smoothly. He said he has a "no surprise" rule and that he would communicate all issues in a timely manner.

On teacher evaluations

"If we are going to spend time to evaluate teachers, it should not be punitive in any way. People are never going to grow," Clarke said.

Clarke has been working on an instrument to evaluate teachers that will raise student achievement while giving teachers the resources to improve. For this to be successful, it is important to establish trust with the teachers, he said.

On contract negotiations

Clarke explained to the board that he feels transparency and trust are key points of the collective bargaining process. He has led the Albion district through privatization in many areas such as transportation, food services and custodial services.    

On cultural competency

Learning styles and demographics are important to understanding and enhancing the learning environment, Clarke said. He stressed the importance of understanding the home environment to create the best possible classroom experience.

On technology

Clarke said he first asks this question when making decisions about technology additions: "How is this impacting student achievement?" To have world class citizens, we have to compete in a global economy, he said.

On filling achievement gaps

Clarke pointed out the changing demographics in the Rochester district and stressed the need to put programs in place now to close achievement gaps before they become a problem.

"I am a visionary leader that will steer your ship to the next level," Clarke said at the conclusion of the interview. "I guarantee you will get nothing but the best of me."