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Your Superintendent is Leaving. Now What?

What should boards do if superintendent is leaving?

Kentucky School Advocate

March 2019

By Matt McCarty
Staff writer

Hiring a superintendent is probably the most important job a school board has, said Don Martin, a consultant for KSBA’s superintendent searches.

And in recent years, several school boards have faced that decision as the state has witnessed a lot of superintendent turnover.

During a clinic session at KSBA’s 2019 Annual Conference, Martin talked about steps school boards need to take when their district faces a vacancy of its top office.

The first step is deciding whether the board will conduct the search or hire a consultant. Then the position must be posted on the Kentucky Department of Education website for a minimum of 30 days.

Next, a search committee of two teachers, one classified employee, one parent, one principal and one school board member must be selected. If the district has 8 percent or more minority population, a minority member must also be on the committee. If one of the six mandated members is a minority, then no further action is required. If not, a seventh member who is a minority parent would be added.

The search committee screens the candidate applications, constructs interview questions and conducts interviews. In addition, they check background information, contact references and others, and ultimately make a recommendation to the board.

The role of the board is to develop candidate criteria, set timelines for the search and instruct the search committee on how many finalists are needed. Martin said if the board asks for more finalists than the search committee is comfortable with, the committee should submit fewer names than requested.

The board also interviews the finalists, contacts references and others, and conducts contract negotiations.

Martin noted the school board can interview and hire any applicant that is certified for the position, even if not recommended by the search committee.

Martin advised boards not to make any promises when a vacancy occurs because selecting someone who goes through the process “gives the hire more credibility if they emerge through the process” and it “establishes credibility in the community.”

Boards are also advised to keep an open mind during the selection process and to maintain a strict level of confidentiality of the applicants.