Fulton School Superintendent Finalist Meets North Fulton

With just one day remaining in the county-imposed 14-day public comment period, Fulton County School System superintendent finalist Robert Avossa made visits to Stonewall Tell Elementary in College Park, Tri-Cities High School in East Point and Woodland Middle School in east Atlanta Tuesday morning and Westlake High School in the evening.

Avossa is keeping a very busy schedule these days. Avossa, has traveled across Fulton to meet with county officials, school administrators, teachers, parents and students in hopes of becoming the next Fulton County Schools Superintendent.

On Wednesday, he visited Lake Forest Elementary and Ridgeview Middle in Sandy Springs and Milton High School.Avossa's purpose was to meet with as many people as possible informally and to begin to build the kind of relationships that will be the underpinning of quality school system.

Patch caught up with him last night at a meet-and-greet in his honor at Centennial High School where he said he was excited about being a finalist for the position.

He talked about the strong work ethic he inherited from his parents who moved to this country from Italy and worked hard to make the Italian restaurant they opened successful.

"I learned at a very early age that to be successful you have to recruit, retain and reward top talent," he said.

He added that he had lived the American dream.

"Because of that, I've always had the desire to give something back," he said. "Taking a leadership role in providing the same opportunities that were granted to me by my family and the community I grew up in (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) is what motivates me."

Avossa, who currently serves as chief strategy and accountability officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, one of the nation's largest school districts, possesses an extensive resume. He holds a bachelor's degree in exceptional education and behavior disorders as well as a master's degree in special education, from the University of South Florida. He also holds a specialists degree in education leadership from Nova Southeastern University and is a doctoral candidate at Wingate University.

His practical education experience includes teaching at middle and high school levels, serving as principal of a large Title 1 elementary school and  a comprehensive high school with more than 3,250 students.  In 2003, he was named Young Educator of the Year.

When the vetting process ends tomorrow, school officials hope to have enough information to move forward. if the community agrees, they plan to offer him the position sometime next week.