D-38 and firm establish phase one of five in new superintendent search
With the release of a community engagement survey and in-person event, School District 38’s search for a new superintendent has completed its first phase and is now into its second.
The D-38 Board of Education had a work session Feb. 5 at the district learning center in Monument during which directors had a lengthy discussion and series of exercises to determine their priorities in finding a replacement for superintendent Dr. K.C. Somers. Somers vacates his position on March 31.
The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Walt Cooper of McPherson and Jacobson, LLC, which was selected as the search and recruitment firm for the task at the Jan. 22 regular meeting of the board. Cooper said the process and timeline moves forward in five phases, of which Phase One was established with the board work session.
Phase Two of the process involves community engagement for its input and the posting of the open superintendent’s position of which candidates begin to apply. Cooper ran the board through an exercise to determine the most desirable characteristics of a replacement superintendent for the district.
“We are working through those things that are going to really form the foundation of us being able to say this candidate fits, this candidate doesn’t fit, this candidate may fit,” Cooper said.
Copper said he was looking for 5-6 aspects of the role from the district as the firm announced the candidacy announcement.
“The larger the organization, the more critical and more focused the culture or the functioning of the organization is reflected in the criteria,” he said.
Cooper ran the board members through an exercise where each member listed qualities and skill sets they were looking for in the next superintendent in a “fantasy draft” style round robin.
Subsequent activities with the board involved Cooper asking directors to rank certain qualities and skill sets as well.
Cooper explained the results of the activities were not only establishing priorities from the board itself when the search for a candidate is posted in the firm’s system, but also help model the community engagement and candidate interview questions, conducted in later phases.
Cooper and the board also discussed the community engagement survey which was marked to go out as soon as possible after the workshop. Cooper explained in the firm’s experience, community engagement should be authentic and intentional. The firm has also found most stakeholders engaging in the process not only want to be included in the front end of the process but also the back end after candidate finalists are determined, he said.
The survey was designed with a hybrid of multiple choice questions as well as constructive or narrative responses.
“We allow for constructive responses to not force anybody into the corner of just what we provide to them,” Cooper said.
Further discussion with the board determined having a first Engage and Elevate Event for the community to have an in-person forum was also in order.
After the workshop, the community engagement survey was released to stakeholders the following day. It was determined the survey would remain open for two weeks, a timeline over which board members are to begin compiling interview questions for candidates. The survey closes no later than 12 p.m., Feb. 21.
It was also announced the first in-person forum was scheduled for Feb. 12 at the district learning center in Monument. The event was designed to provide additional information and understanding of how the D-38 board in partnership with McPherson & Jacobson is performing its superintendent search. All and any member of the community was invited and the event would also provide information on how data from the survey will be applied to the search and hiring process and help it move forward.
The survey can be found online at www.SurveyMonkey.com/r/VTLHJ2S.
The sign in front of the offices of School District 38.
