Brochu: ‘They came to me and recruited me’

DALTON — Whitfield County Schools Superintendent Katie Brochu didn’t apply to become superintendent of a South Carolina school district — she was recruited there, she said.

Brochu’s status as one of three finalists for the position with Richland School District Two in Columbia became public on Tuesday.

“I didn’t look for a position; they asked me to have the conversation,” she said on Wednesday. “If it happens, it’s meant to be. If it doesn’t happen, I am extremely happy in Whitfield County.”

Brochu was one of 99 candidates for the position, which will be vacant because the current superintendent will retire at the end of the school year. She said Richland school officials asked her to consider the job at least partly because they were impressed with the Whitfield school system’s ability to raise the graduation rate, raise test scores, lower the property tax rate and lower the number of discipline issues — all while dealing with fast-paced growth. She said school system employees and the members of the board of education share in the district’s accomplishments.

“Our district and our community should be incredibly flattered that school districts from across the nation believe that we’re a school system worth watching, that we have something to offer and something to share,” she said. “As a result of that, they invited me to come for a conversation, and I will tell you I believe that is a school system worth watching as well. It really seemed to me that that was a place that I would be absolutely philosophically in line with in terms of the direction of that system.”

According to the Richland school district’s Web site, www.richland2.org, there are more than 24,000 students enrolled, 3,300 employees and a general operating budget of $192 million. The Whitfield system has about 13,390 students, 2,000 employees and a $107 million budget.

Local school board members said they believe Brochu has a good shot at landing the position. She is scheduled to visit the district and have her final interview on Friday.

“She’s gotten this far with it in the process, and I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t get the job,” said board member John Thomas. “Obviously, she thinks it’s best for her and her family to move on if they give her that opportunity in Columbia, so I can’t fault her. We’re at a point that someone else can take over and they’ll do a fine job.”

Brochu said Richland’s history of being a “world class district” and its interest in “moving forward” attracted her. According to the school district’s Web site, it’s one of the fastest growing districts in South Carolina, adding more than 1,100 students annually. More than two dozen magnet “centers” function as schools within schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels. There’s also an adult learning center where community members can take GED, family literacy, computer skills or English classes.

The Richland Board of Trustees is expected to announce its final candidate this weekend or early next week. The position will pay around $200,000. Brochu makes $184,500 and also receives a monthly $750 stipend for car expenses. She said she has no plans to search for another job if she doesn’t get this one.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with money,” she added. “It has everything to do with opportunity and challenge. If I leave here, I will retire from the state of Georgia, so from that perspective I will end my career in Georgia and move to another challenge.”

School board member Gary Brock said he wishes Brochu luck if she gets the job.

“She’s done a great job for the system,” Brock said. “If she does leave, I think it’ll be a great loss for the system, but we’ll just have to move forward.”

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