SAVANNAH, Ga. () – Savannah-Chatham County public school leaders are taking a unique approach to search for their next principals in two schools that score on the lower end of the state’s criteria for success.

Hubert Middle and Beach High School both need new principals. For the next school year, the district is hoping to lead those schools to success by gathering feedback at community meetings about how the hiring process should work.

“In the past, Beach was stellar. This community was stellar, but it is on the rise up, and we want to make sure this principal is vested in the community as well as the school,” Co-President of the Cann/Jackson Park Neighborhood Association Altheria Maynard said at a meeting Wednesday night.

The Georgia Department of Education’s 2024 College and Career Ready Performance Index measures individual schools’ success by four categories: content mastery, progress, closing gaps and readiness.

Graduation rate is also considered for high schools.

Beach ranks in the bottom five of all Chatham County high schools in every category other than progress and is below the state average in the same categories, according to the index.

Hubert, according to the index, is in the bottom five and below the state average in all categories except graduation rate, which does not apply to middle schools.

In a series of meetings held Tuesday and Wednesday night, district officials met with parents and community stakeholders about what they want to see in their children’s next principal.

“Hiring a leader and a principal of a school is more about a person who brings all the competencies to the table, and we’re not doing anything special because of a performance of a school,” Chief of Schools for Savannah Chatham County Public Schools Raymond Barnes said.

To determine what competencies the new principals should have, district officials had members of the community vote.

“It was a good showing, but I would’ve liked to see a whole lot more people here involved in the process because the more we educate ourselves about where that bar is, then we can help the school community meet that bar,” Deborah Clarke, Ph.D., a Beach High alumnus and retired SCCPSS educator, said.

Going forward, district officials will incorporate the community feedback into interview questions for principal candidates. Then SCCPSS Superintendent Denise Watts, Ph.D. will recommend candidates for the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education’s approval.

According to district officials, the goal is to have the new principals at both Hubert and Beach named by July 1.