21 educators selected for JCPS principal pipeline program

Goal of program is to prepare current employees to become strong school building leaders

By Toni Konz Tatman | JCPS Communications

an assistant principal stands and works with a student on a math problem

Twenty-one educators in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) have been selected to be part of the district's Principal Pipeline Program and will go through rigorous training to prepare them to become strong school leaders.

A total of 92 people applied to be part of the first cohort of the pipeline, said Carmen Colemen, the district's acting chief academic officer.

"Our goal with this program is to make sure we have a very well-prepared group of leaders who are equipped to step directly into the principal role in JCPS," Coleman said. "Ultimately, we want this to be a yearlong experience for those in the program. We also want to strongly encourage those not accepted for this first round to watch for additional opportunities. We have many outstanding candidates in our district and simply had to limit the size of our group."

Coleman said the district will begin a second cohort in the fall of 2018.

Training will begin on Jan. 11 and will continue through the summer. Successful program participants will earn recommendations as strong candidates for future administrative openings in the district.

an assistant principal sits in a desk and observes a classroom

The candidates will participate in sessions that range from the importance of equity and cultural competence to budgeting and hiring.

"They will also have many opportunities to work directly with and learn from current principals in the district as well as from those who are in district leadership roles," Coleman said.

Stephanie Fluhr, an assistant principal at Jefferson County Traditional Middle School, is among those who applied and was selected to be part of the first cohort.

"I am really looking forward to this opportunity," said Fluhr, who taught at Iroquois and Fern Creek High Schools and is in her sixth year as an assistant principal at JCTMS. "I think as an educator, it's important to taken advantage of every opportunity of learning that you can. I absolutely love my job right now, but I would like to be a principal someday."

Fluhr, a native of Louisville who graduated from Pleasure Ridge Park High School in 1998, said she wants to be "as prepared as possible" while waiting for the opportunity to lead a school. 

Margie Eckerle, director of Administrator Recruitment and Development for JCPS, said the district had had similar pipeline programs in the past. The most recent pipeline program was discontinued when funding from the Wallace Foundation ended in 2011.

"We are going to reestablish the principal pipeline cohort with three of our local universities—Bellarmine, Spalding, and the University of Louisville," Eckerle said. "We are very excited about putting this program back into place."

The first cohort for the JCPS Principal Pipeline includes the following:

  • Emily Allen, assistant principal at Shacklette Elementary School
  • Trent Bates, assistant principal at Waggener High School
  • Joshua Bourgeois, assistant principal at Thomas Jefferson Middle School
  • Marcia Carmichael-Murphy, a resource teacher at Fern Creek High School
  • Alison Dahlgren, assistant principal at Shelby Traditional Academy
  • Michelle Dotson-Perkins, assistant principal at Portland Elementary School
  • Sheri Duff, assistant principal at ESL Newcomer Academy
  • Stephanie Fluhr, assistant principal at Jefferson County Traditional Middle School 
  • LaTonya Frazier-Goatley, gifted and talented coordinator (districtwide)
  • Whitney Frye Randall, assistant principal at Stonestreet Elementary School 
  • Courtney Grace, assistant principal at Hazelwood Elementary School
  • Terra Greenwell, assistant principal at Doss High School
  • Sherri Harris, goal clarity coach at Olmsted Academy North
  • Jimica Howard, assistant principal at Slaughter Elementary School
  • Derieco Irvin, assistant principal at Fairdale High School
  • Stacey Irvin, assistant principal at Young Elementary School
  • Sara Nethery, assistant principal at Farnsley Middle School
  • Joanna Sells, assistant principal at Wilt Elementary School
  • DeNay Speaks, assistant principal at Wellington Elementary School
  • Jason Stinson, assistant principal at Pleasure Ridge Park High School
  • Karen Waggoner, assistant principal at Greenwood Elementary School

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