News-Record.com

The new superintendent of Guilford County Schools made clear to parents, educators and taxpayers in late July that he has no specific agenda for tackling the system's largest challenges during the next four years.

Those challenges include improving academic achievement, raising the graduation rate, attracting and retaining employees, fostering safe learning environments and building the district's next generation of schools on schedule and within budget.

However, Maurice "Mo" Green's educational philosophy lines up with mainstream expectations that students should graduate from high schools skilled and on time, and that classrooms should be safe and orderly.

"I am looking for dramatic improvements," said Green, who begins work here on Sept. 8. "I'm not interested in a 1 or 2 percentage-point drop in the achievement gap over a two-year time frame. I really want to close the achievement gap."

Green said his immediate strategy is "listening and learning" to what people have to say.

School board members hope Green will streamline the district's operations and finally weed out ineffective programs.

"That would be a first," said Anita Sharpe, a 17-year board member. "I've never seen a superintendent that has the courage to do that."

Efforts to take stock of several district programs and services were under way before former superintendent Terry Grier left in March.

The reviews include various student groups, such as magnet participants, black males, bus riders and the academically gifted.

The school board also expects to finalize this month a budget that could include money to further address student misbehavior and raise the salaries of bus drivers, custodians and other classified workers.

Board members said they did not focus on existing or proposed programs during interviews with superintendent finalists.

"We didn't even talk about those type of things," Walter Childs said. "That would be the board saying this is what we want you to do, which would give them an out and they would only do those things."

However, Green has said publicly that he won't tolerate disruptive students in the classroom. He pointed to practices in his current district, such as added security personnel and the use of 10- and 30-day learning centers for suspended students.

"He was very clear about discipline, I thought," said Dot Kearns, Guilford County school board member. "It's not simple enough to say we'll have zero tolerance of any misbehavior."

Mastery of foreign languages and computer technology rank high on Green's overall agenda of preparing students to compete in the global marketplace, he said. He recently purchased for himself a nimble "tablet" computer that he carries to meetings.

"In my mind we don't know what those jobs are going to be for the next generation," said Green, who is leaving as deputy superintendent at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to come to Greensboro. "You almost need to be able to prepare for the unknown."

Green said he also supports strong base salaries for teachers and performance bonuses for employees, including custodians, specialists and bus drivers.

Kearns, Sharpe and Kris Cooke said they want to know if Green will expand Mission Possible to reward other teachers. The two-year-old incentive program pays hiring and performance bonuses only to principals and elementary, math and reading teachers in struggling schools.

It's something Green intends to investigate.

"I'm interested in learning more about Mission Possible and learning why the decisions were made the way they were made," Green said.

Green said he realizes taxpayers will scrutinize the spending of a

$457 million construction bond approved in May.

"I don't know enough to know if it is a real issue or a perceived issue," said Green, referring to long-standing public complaints about the district's construction practices.

Kearns said she believes the district has the strongest facilities department it's ever had and she trusts the employees to oversee school construction. The department recently developed new building guidelines to cut energy use and some construction costs in new schools. The guidelines await final approval by the school board.

"They are just moving right ahead," Kearns said. "We're getting a lot done."

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com