Building Relationships Key for New Vice Principal

After over three years as supervisor of technology in the Jefferson School District, Douglas Walker is ready for the next step in his career.

"What enticed me about the position at was to focus on one building, one group of students, one group of staff, and really stay with something and see it through to completion there," Walker said.

to replace . He began his new position on Thursday.

As a district-wide supervisor in Jefferson, "You get involved in a lot of great projects, but ... you don’t get to stay with them to completion the way you want them to because you’re spread so thin amongst a large body of students and staff."

In Jefferson, Walker worked with about 500 staff members throughout all grade levels. In moving to a single-school position, he realizes he is going against the normal trend.

"Most people move from one school to a global position in a district. Everybody asks me that," he said. "I feel that my K-12 experience in instructional technology brings something to the entire district, but I look forward to channeling it in the high school directly."

In his discussions with Chatham High principal Darren Groh, Walker said he expects the administration to "tap my experience" with technology and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). 

"My understanding is that [my roll] is going to be everything from facility management to student discipline to PLCs," Walker said. "From parking to lockers to fire and evacuation drills to building safety."

Walker earned his bachelor's degree in finance in 1998 and his Education Supervisor’s certificate in 2008 from William Paterson University of New Jersey. He also holds an MBA in business from Montclair State University in 2003.

Though he was not looking for a new job when the vacancy at Chatham High came up, Walker said it was hard to ignore the opportunity. "I’m really excited to work in a school and a district with such a tradition of excellence," he said. "I’m really looking forward to absorbing and learning about the school, and then bringing my experience there to improve it even more. It seems like a really good place to work."

Leaving Jefferson, however, was a challenge because the board had not hired a replacement before Walker left for Chatham High. "There are so many things that only I know how to do, and because there’s nobody here to replace me yet, it’s all about who needs to know what," he said. "I've built up so much here, and I hate to see it not continue."

Walker said his first weeks will require an investment of time and dedication on his part to build the relationships he wants to have. "I want to learn the routines of the school, build relationships with the students, faculty and parents," he said. "I want to get a feel for the pulse of the building, for things that are running well and the things that could be better."

One of the biggest challenges for an administrator, Walker said, is to get out of the office and among the student body. "The problem of an administrator is that you get bogged down in your office with emails, reports, paperwork, phone calls.

"I think it’s important to get into classrooms, to interact with students and teachers, to observe instruction, to know what’s happening in your building. My goal is to work as hard as I can to find that balance between the two," Walker said.