Recommended principal for Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts is familiar with Columbus

Weldon “Briant” Williams III, a principal of an Indianapolis arts school who has been an educator in Georgia and a graduate student at Columbus State University, will be the principal of the Muscogee County School District’s arts school being constructed if the board approves the superintendent’s recommendation.

Superintendent David Lewis announced his choice during the Muscogee County School Board’s work session Monday. The board is scheduled to vote on the recommendation during next Monday’s meeting, starting at 6 p.m.

Williams has been principal of Broad Ripple High School for the Arts and Humanities since 2015. Broad Ripple comprises 970 students in grades 6-12. MCSD’s Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts also is designed for grades 6-12 but for nearly half as many students (500) and will begin the 2017-18 school year with grades 6-10, then add 11^th grade in 2018-19 and 12th grade in 2019-20.

Under his first year of leadership, Broad Ripple increased its graduation rate from 86 percent to 93 percent, its participation in Advance Placement and honors courses by 15-20 percent and its end-of-course test passing rate in English and math by 10 percent, according to Williams’ resume.

Williams was assistant principal for curriculum, student information coordinator and administrator of the 11^th and 12^th grades for Creekside High School in the Fulton County School System from 2012-15.

His other positions have been: assistant principal, Braddock Hills Elementary and High Schools, Propel Public Charter Schools, Pittsburgh, Pa., 2011-12; full-time doctoral student, Georgia Southern University, 2010-11; choral director, Carver School of the Arts, Atlanta Public Schools, 2006-10; choral teacher, Ronald McNair Senior High School, DeKalb (Ga.) Public School System, 2005-06; choral, piano and music business teacher, Mitchell High School, Memphis (Tenn.) City Schools; full-time master’s degree student and graduate teaching assistant, Northern Illinois University, 2003-04; choral teacher and assistant to the band director, Herschel V. Jenkins High School, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, 2001-02.

Williams earned his specialist’s degree in educational leadership and K-12 administration from Columbus State University in 2008. His other degrees are a bachelor’s in music education from Florida A&M University in 2001, a master’s in music education from Northern Illinois in 2007 and a doctorate in educational leadership and K-12 administration from Georgia Southern in 2012. His dissertation is titled “Successful Secondary School Music Educators’ Instructional and Teacher Leadership Skills, Their Pathways to and Skills Implementation in the Principal Position.”

Lewis told the board 39 candidates applied for the position and he interviewed three.

“His references said he has a very strong ability to interpret performance data, disaggregate student performance data, and they’re expecting a 96-percent graduation rate at (Broad Ripple) this year,” Lewis said. “… In terms of personal work ethic, they said he’s a gentleman of integrity and character, and both are above reproach. He is considered to be ambitious … well-spoken, articulate and well-received by the public.”

Williams also “aligns his message to that of the district, so he is very much a person who wants to ensure he works within the parameters of the school district,” Lewis said. “… He’s very flexible, responsive and innovative. In terms of professional development, all his references describe Dr. Williams as easy to coach. So he certainly is a quality individual.”

Friends and colleagues in the arts, Lewis said, told him, “This is your guy.”

Lewis noted that, although Williams’ first name is Weldon, he goes by Briant, which isn’t spelled as Bryant.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 11:59 PM with the headline "Recommended principal for Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts is familiar with Columbus."