Search for Superintendent of Schools is officially under way

The search is on. Search Solutions, the consulting firm hired by the Maricopa Unified School District’s governing board, began the process of finding a new superintendent today. The firm has a ten-year history of finding school administrators for various Arizona districts, using a community involvement approach.

Longtime Superintendent of Schools Alma Farrell has announced her retirement, effective June 30, 2006. In order to have a replacement ready to begin his or her duties on July 1, a hiring process has been put in place. That process began Tuesday when facilitators JoAnne Hilde and Joann Mortensen visited all schools in the district to obtain staff input regarding the characteristics of a new superintendent.

Search Solutions’ consultants Joann Mortensen (left) and JoAnne Hilde.

Tuesday evening, in the Maricopa High School library, Search Solutions hosted a community forum to explain the components of the hiring process and to attain input from parents, business leaders and community members regarding the qualities needed in a new superintendent. “We are interested in the characteristics a superintendent has to have to move Maricopa forward,” explained Hilde. “Rapid growth is not going away.”

Approximately 20 people attended the meeting. They submitted various characteristics and skills a new superintendent needs, including the following:

The new Superintendent needs to be:
· Inspirational
· A good communicator
· Public friendly but able to run the district like a business
· Experienced in dealing with rapid growth
· A creative financier
· Capable of giving straight answers
· Experienced in dealing with multiple cultures
· Flexible in own ideas in order to receive input
· From a successful district and have personal success
· Someone with leadership skills
· Able to manage change
· Someone who puts kids first
· Able to retain staff members
· Able to delegate

Paul Jepson, city management assistant, explained his perspective on a candidate for the superintendency. “It is very important to find a person who can deal with growth and the issues involved. The right person is someone whose staff will beg him or her to stay because that person has done such an exemplary job building a team wherever they are.”

The input from staff and community is used to develop a profile of a new superintendent. Some of the information will be utilized in the brochure advertising the position. Some of it will be incorporated into interview questions. The vacancy will be posted on national web sites beginning on December 5. January 13 is the deadline for all paperwork to be submitted, followed by initial screening and reference checks.

The Community Review Committee is the next step in the process. Search Solutions will select 12-15 individuals from applications, which are available at all schools and the district office. On February 1, for three to four hours, the committee will review and rank applications, using a rubric scoring system. The resulting final four or five candidates will tour the schools on February 23 and then field questions from the public. They will be interviewed by members of the governing board the next day.

According to Hilde, “Search Solutions likes to do places where there’s a sense of community. We’ll do a lot of the work, but we won’t do any of the decision making.”

JoAnne Hilde takes comments from forum attendees.

Current superintendents, assistant superintendents in larger districts and building principals will probably be among the anticipated 30 or so applicants for the superintendency. In Arizona the candidate must have a master’s degree, five years of successful teaching experience and certification for a superintendent’s position.

Search Solutions’ statistics indicate that in Arizona 20 – 40% of all superintendents change annually. Most stay in the same position for three to five years in state; they remain only two and a half to three years nationally. Changes occur because of school boards, which are political entities and change over time. Many superintendents are hired during a time of special needs, and those needs also change. The firm does expect a three-year contract commitment from a school district.

Mortensen explained, “It is vital that the superintendent is a unanimous decision by the board. We’ll work with them or bring a candidate back.”

“A good candidate will not come to a split board,” added Hilde. “The board does not have to hire one of the candidates we bring to them. They can go back to the candidate pool or reopen the search. In any case, the probable contract date would be the first part of March.”

Following the community forum, the governing board met to approve the profile and the brochure advertising the position. They also gave Search Solutions a salary range of $105,000 to $115,000 for the new superintendent.

For further information, contact Gayle Smith, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, at (520) 568-5112 or Bonnie Gibson, Director of Multiple Projects, at (520) 568-5110.