Deputy Superintendent Dr. Zheadric Barbra brought a proposed leadership program to the Liberty County Board of Education Oct. 9.

The Aspiring Leaders Academy, Barbra said, supports continuous improvement in the Liberty County School System. 

“We place high value on identifying leaders who exhibit pre-requisite talents and skills that make them optimal candidates for future leadership in our district,” Barbra said. The idea behind the academy is to provide the hands-on practical learning in a collaborative setting, he continued. This will put the district in a better position to hire those candidates who will quickly assume those important leadership roles and provide positive impact on student achievement.

“As a district, as we continue to improve student achievement in all of our schools, we understand and recognize the importance of leaders and the role they play in that process,” Barbra said. 

Those eligible for the academy include: teacher leaders, academic specialists, content specialists, assistant principals and others that exhibit leadership skills, Barbra said. Participants are required to possess an L-5 (Georgia Leadership Certification) or be enrolled in a leadership program to acquire certification, he said.

“We can have great principals, vice principals now, but eventually, those individuals will retire, get married, move away,” Barbra said. “And we, as a district, have to be in a position to be able to place people in those positions.”

Concepts to be covered include: establishing school vision and mission; instructional leadership; climate and culture; organizational leadership and budget and finance, Barbra said.

“The overview of the leadership strand that will be covered in the Liberty Aspiring Leaders Academy is in line with the school district’s mission and vision,” he said. “This opportunity directly supports ‘Our Blueprint for Progress’ (BFP) and strategic goal number three: highly qualified and effective leaders, teachers and support personnel.”

The application period is open until Oct. 19, Barbra added, and afterwards, interview screenings will be completed for those individuals after all applications have been received.

The academy will have six Saturday sessions, from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the central board office.

The academy is focusing on bringing in a highly experienced and educational leader and leader development expert through Baiza Consulting, LLC, Barbra said. The leader will develop and facilitate sessions and session content.

“She’s highly sought after,” Barbra said. “She will come and help us with this particular work by developing content, facilitating sessions and providing pre-work to the leaders prior to any of the sessions we have.”