Schultz wrapped up duties Wednesday as director of elementary education with Cabarrus County Schools and, after taking part in a friend’s wedding this weekend, will begin his tenure as principal of Huntersville’s Torrence Creek Elementary School Monday.
“I’ve got a lot of balls in the air right now,” Schultz said Monday afternoon. “But my primary focus is getting started at Torrence Creek.”
Schultz, 38, takes the helm of a school with an expected enrollment of around 1,300 in a facility planned for hundreds less. He knows about the recent controversy surrounding TCE, its mobile unit village and the delayed construction of a new school to ease overcrowding. He also knows about the high performance standards and expectations teachers and parents have for the school, despite the less-than-ideal conditions.
“I am aware of the issues involving the school,” he said, “but I think they are opportunities, not obstacles.”
Shultz said he spent two days recently meeting with teachers at Torrence Creek and developed a strong feeling of confidence in the staff. “I met a lot of people and I know the talent and dedication is there,” he said, adding that the ability of the teachers to reach the students is the key to educational success.
“At school, what it comes down to is the connection between the teacher and the students,” Schultz says. “The administration’s job is to put things in place to allow the teacher to do their job and to help the teacher in any way possible. It doesn’t matter if the teaching takes place in a classroom, a mobile unit or a tent, if the support is there and the connection is made, that’s all you need.”
Communication at all levels, according to Shultz, is also vital for a school’s success.
“My big thing is to ensure that the communication cycle is complete,” he says. “The teachers need to be informed about the administration’s plans and expectations, the parents need to be informed and the community in general needs to be informed.”
He said proper communication can ward off problems and simplify the efforts needed to deal with any situations.
“It’s a lot easier to work with teachers and parents when they know what’s happening and what’s expected,” Shultz says. “And it’s vital they know because parents and teachers are the most important people in the kids’ lives.”
He also said making sure students get the attention and instruction they need is a top priority, along with establishing routines and expectations for everyday operations.
“As a parent myself, I know safety is always a concern,” he says, “and it’s not just the basic issues you think of when you hear the word safety. I’m talking about school-wide procedures and protocols. Things as basic as walking down the hall have to be covered, especially in a school with a large enrollment.”
The job at TCE will be the second principal post for Shultz in his 15-year career in education. In addition to classroom teaching experience at the second and third grade levels, he has been an assistant principal for instruction and was principal of Royal Oaks Elementary in Cabarrus County for four years. A graduate of Purdue University, Schultz earned a master’s degree in school administration from UNC Charlotte and is currently working on a doctorate in curriculum and instruction/urban education at UNCC.
He hopes to put all his experience at work at TCE.
“The folks at Torrence Creek have a lot to be proud of,” he says. “I hope to be a part of the successful tradition they have established. Everyone I have met has been so positive about the school and I am excited to have this opportunity.”
Schultz and his wife, Vicki, an English as a second language instructor, have two daughters and live in Concord.
