Updated as of 11:55 p.m. on Aug. 1 to include comment from four ABSS Board of Education members.
Alamance-Burlington Board of Education approved Aaron Fleming as the next superintendent during its July 29 board meeting. This was a 6-1 decision, with the only opposition coming from vice chairman Donna Westbrooks. Westbrooks said at the meeting her concern was because Fleming has not served as a school principal. Westbrooks was not available for an interview, but sent her comments from the board meeting to Elon News Network.
Westbrooks said at the meeting that as the only educator on the board and as having prior experience as a principal was ranked second on a survey sent out to community and staff members for this role, she did not vote for Fleming.
“Although I cannot support him with my vote today, and because I believe my fellow board members will all vote yes, I will support him as our new superintendent, with the understanding that he will always put our kids, staff, families and community first when he makes decisions and that he will without question have an open door policy for our administrators,” Westbrooks said during the meeting.
Board Member Charles Parker told Elon News Network he was reassured after hearing how Fleming supports and retains principals in his role as superintendent in Harnett County, where he has worked for the past seven years.
“It seems like the principals that come to work in Harnett County tend to stay and so I feel pretty good about that,” Parker said. “He has done a good job, at his current role in Harnett County, cultivating a good working relationship with the principals and assistant principals, and developing a pipeline so that you could hire internally and move people up from within the school system who really have a deep knowledge of the schools there.”
The former superintendent, Dain Butler, resigned March 4 and previous superintendent Bill Harrison has been serving as interim since. Fleming will begin his role Sept. 18.
Parker said Fleming’s background in finance would help him hit the ground running, particularly after the year ABSS had, with a mold outbreak in 32 out of 36 of its schools — costing the county close to $26 million.
“We're looking at another challenging year, hopefully not as challenging, but as far as righting the ship from a financial standpoint,” Parker said. “He's aware of that, and that was one of the things we discussed with him in some detail during the hiring process.”
Sandy Ellington-Graves, board chair, said Fleming’s previous work with Harnett County’s facilities will help Alamance County ensure there is no mold resurgence. She was also drawn to Fleming for his experience within the state, not just at Harnett County, but also his work in Raleigh in education policy. He is also used to working with elected officials, something Ellington-Graves said would only serve to strengthen ABSS.
“He has experience on school finance that I think will help bring the financial stability that we desperately need in the school district,” Ellington-Graves said. “He has a great working relationship with elected leaders, so that's something that we're hoping that he's going to really be able to drive a lot of collaboration with our county commissioners.”
Emily-Lynn Adkins, chief communications officer of ABSS, said his prior job experience helped the board of education make its decision.
“Dr. Fleming is a leader in education, and he brings 23 years of experience,” Adkins said. “He was a standout candidate for the board of education with a wealth of knowledge and leadership around curriculum development, school finance, educational policy.”
There were 34 applicants from 14 different states, Ellington-Graves said. Harnett County has over 20,000 students across 28 schools and Alamance County has over 22,000 across 38 schools. Parker and board members Seneca Rogers and Dan Ingle said Fleming coming from a nearby, similar county helped him to stand out. Rogers said overall his main priority is seeing someone who is able to help students.
“The main focus has always got to be on our students and on teaching and learning,” Rogers said. “A part of that is making sure that our students have what they need, and a superintendent who is going to always keep them in the forefront of whatever we're doing.”
In a press release from ABSS, Fleming said he is excited to step into this role. Fleming did not respond to Elon News Network's immediate request for comment.
“I have heard a great deal about this community and its legacy of excellence in educating children. I am looking forward to being a part of the ABSS team,” Fleming said in the release. “I appreciate the hours of work the board of education has invested in the search for a new leader. I am eager to meet with members of our ABSS staff, families, and community as we continue to prioritize student success in Alamance-Burlington Schools.”
Ingles said he was looking for a superintendent who will work closely with parents, students and other partners — and he thinks Fleming is that person.
“He's going to be hands-on, going out into these schools and speaking with the teachers and principals and coaches,” Ingles said. “I think he's going to be very positive for our county and get us going in definitely the right direction for the future.”