Alvin Crawley was only a few months into a new job with DC Public Schools when his cellphone rang one afternoon. The caller identified himself as a representative of the Prince George's County school board and asked whether Crawley might want to be the chief of the Maryland suburb's school system for the next year.

Crawley nearly hung up.

"Quite honestly, I think the original reaction was 'Is this a legitimate phone call?' " he says. "And then I was very pleasantly surprised! It just sort of caught me off guard, and when I realized it was a legitimate call, I was very excited and flattered."

Friday was Superintendent William Hite's last day with the school system, making Crawley the top gun for Prince George's County Public Schools on Monday. Hite accepted the top schools post in Philadelphia on June 29, giving up $125,000 in severance to get an early release from his contract.