Rowan superintendent to lead Hickory schools

Hickory Public Schools has a new superintendent.

Dr. Walter Hedrick Hart was unanimously approved by the Hickory Board of Education on Monday. He will begin November 1.

A resident of China Grove, Hart is the assistant superintendent for administration for Rowan-Salisbury Schools in Salisbury. He is responsible for supervising 35 principals and a student enrollment of 20,500, He manages a budget of $20 million.

Hart is accountable for student service programs, alternative education, dropout prevention, student discipline, child nutrition, interscholastic athletics, employee safety, workers compensation, as well as policy development. He is the chair of the governance/leadership with the district’s improvement team. Hart oversees the Board of Education Appeals Committee and supervises Horizons Unlimited — a science/biotechnology center.

Prior to joining Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Hart led Lincoln County Schools as the associate superintendent of human resources for six years — where he supervised 24 principals, 1,700 employees and more than 12,000 students. He worked with a budget of $75 million.

Hart is a former social studies classroom teacher and coach for Cabarrus County Schools where he moved to assistant principal and then principal. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and his teacher licensure from Wake Forest University. He earned his masters in Educational Leadership and his doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“I am thrilled to join Hickory Public Schools,” Hart said. “I would like to thank the Board of Education for this tremendous opportunity and the trust that they have placed in me. Throughout the selection process, it became clear that the Board takes great pride in its schools and makes meeting the needs of children its top priority. I look forward to working with the teachers and staff to build upon their traditions of excellence, to embrace challenges, and to create a climate in which all students, teachers, and staff realize their fullest potential.”

According to a news release, Hart’s educational leadership “brings proven success reflecting instructional strategies combined with initiatives that expand student opportunities. His long-range planning continues to focus on achievement monitoring to realize sustained improvements.”

“A myriad of professional achievements contribute to the selection of Dr. Hart to lead as the new superintendent of Hickory Public Schools, “ said Joab Cotton, Hickory board chairman. “Dr. Hart fully comprehends that our schools are an extension of the growth of our community. His knowledge and result-oriented experience in leading successful organizations illustrates that he readily identifies with the strategic plan of Hickory Public Schools. Dr. Hart desires for our schools to be vibrant year around.

“Dr. Hart is not content for HPS to maintain the status quo, but rather, he desires to lead our district as we create systems for change---engaging in the empowerment of others to further develop and improve achievement,” Cotton said. “On behalf of the HPS Board of Education, we are very pleased that Dr. Hart will be joining us, and we look forward to his leadership — helping those within to realize their fullest potential.”

“One leads best when the sole purpose is to meet the needs of children, schools and teachers,” Hart said about servant leadership in his new role with Hickory Public Schools. “While a leader has position authority, effective leaders understand that their positions do not exist for the mere purpose of exercising authority.

“Rather, the effective school leader recognizes that we are all teachers, with everyone having worth and important roles to play in helping schools to be successful.”

Hart and his wife, Laura, who is an instructor in the education department at UNC-Charlotte, are the parents of three children: Tyler, Patrick and Savannah. The Harts plan to relocate to Hickory soon.