A Dream Builder and Change Agent

Profile: FREDERICK C. WILLIAMS

His calling card says superintendent, but Frederick Williams operates with the passion of an activist and the vision of an innovative thinker and doer. He says he views his role as being a “dream builder.”

Williams is completing his 31st year as an educator in Dublin City Schools, a small rural district in central Georgia, the past nine in the top leadership post. Earlier this year, he received recognition as one of four national finalists for 2024 Superintendent of the Year after the selection committee found he delivered on the promises he lists atop his resume:

•  Improving Performance (Equity)

•  Enhancing Programs (Inclusion)

•  Inspiring Systemic Change (Excellence).

By age 5, he knew he wanted to be a teacher. He got that chance right out of undergraduate studies in 1993, landing a phys-ed teaching job that included high school football coaching. While moving into administration, Williams gained certification as a pastor in the Baptist church.

His dream job as Dublin’s superintendent began in 2015. But just months after he became the district’s first Black superintendent, Williams faced a financial crisis. The district of 2,400 students had an $18.3 million bond debt coming due and a $7 million operating deficit.

As a new superintendent, Williams weighed the likely impact of closing an elementary school, implementing staff furloughs and/or freezing salaries. He also considered whether the community trusted him.

“Every decision I made could have gotten me fired,” Williams says. But it was equally true, he reasons, that every decision he made could be the reason he was hired for the challenging position. Each decision could reflect his new vision and commitment to see all students succeed.

Because of his sound financial stewardship in the years since, the district’s finances are on firm ground now. The bond debt was paid off last year and $2 million is in the bank, Williams reports.

The superintendent has launched several academic and mental health initiatives. These include Baby Irish (family outreach up to preK children), the Leaping Leprechauns Learning Academy (a free day care program for children of teen mothers and district staff) and the Irish Gifted and Talented Academy.

“Education is the greatest equalizer, especially for students living in poverty,” Williams says.

The gifted program serves kindergarten through 8th grade and prepares students for the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs in high school. Williams also spearheaded the creation of the Accelerated Career Diploma Program, which provides high school credits for postsecondary training. As one of 48 charter school systems in Georgia, the district has flexibility in graduation requirements.

Under his tenure, high school graduation rates have increased by 27.4 percent, with the class of 2023 graduating at a record high 97.7 percent.

“We have to serve with passion and love,” Williams says, adding that he wants his schools to help students develop a sense of compassion, in addition to their academic skills.

At Friday night sports events, Williams can be seen high-fiving students, then listening intently to individual students. He says he frequently tells them: “I’m going to love you no matter what you do.”

Another opportunity for promoting personal growth came out of a need to shelter the homeless population in Dublin. Students in the career and technical education programs built six tiny houses on high school property for their use. Says Williams: “The students learned skills, but just as important, they learned what it means to care for those who are less fortunate.”

LIZ GRIFFIN is managing editor of School Administrator.