Search on for new superintendent

SANDPOINT — Time is of the essence in the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s search for a new superintendent.

“It’s really a tough time frame for you to be in to look for a superintendent,” Don Hague, a consultant with recruiting firm McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, told LPOSD trustees during a special meeting of the board on Thursday.

The district’s current superintendent, Shawn Woodward, announced his resignation this week after accepting a position with the Mead School District in Washington, which starts July 1. He will finish out the school year at LPOSD, however, that leaves little time for the district to find a suitable replacement. The search to fill such a position typically begins in January or February, because many eligible candidates would already have signed contracts with a school district for the following school year by April.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t have a good search this time of year,” Hague added.

Hague, who lives in the Sandpoint area, represented the firm in a presentation to the board on Thursday. Board members unanimously agreed to authorize a contract in the amount of $9,250 with McPherson & Jacobson. Because it is a professional services contract, no official vote was needed. Absent from Thursday’s meeting was Woodward, as he will not be involved in the selection process.

McPherson & Jacobson consultants Bill and Barbara Dean will be handling the search. The couple live in Post Falls in the warmer seasons, and will not be in the area until May 23. They will be meeting with the board via Skype in the meantime, and will fly up if they need to as well to get things moving quickly, Hague said.

The firm has consultants in about 30 states across the country, he said, and has placed more than 725 superintendents. Of those placed, more than 75 percent of administrators are still in the position after five years, 50 percent are still in their position after 10 years, and almost half of those selected by governing boards are still in after 15 years, he said.

“We truly believe, and I think it’s important, if you want to improve your school ... you need to have stable leadership at the top,” Hague said. “You can’t be changing superintendents every two or three years.”

Under the contract, the firm will provide services in five phases. The first phase includes identifying the district’s desired characteristics for a new superintendent, establishing a timeline, establishing compensation parameters, and determining advertising venues. The second phase will include stakeholder input meetings, developing an application for unique to the vacancy and the criteria established by the district, developing a promotional brochure and vacancy announcement, and actively recruit and track applicants. In the third phase, the firm will evaluate and check references of applicants, as well as establish interview questions and an interview schedule.

Moving into the fourth phase, a shortlist of candidates will be selected for interviews. They will undergo a full day of interviews and a tour of the district before a final selection is made. The final selection will be made in the fourth phase, with the establishment of performance objectives for the new superintendent to be determined in the fifth phase.

Hague said once a contract is signed with the firm, they stick with the district through the entire process, no matter how long it takes. They also provide a two-year guarantee, where if the candidate ends their employment before that time, the firm will repeat the process at no additional charge. Throughout the process, the firm and the district will be looking at to fill the position as a one-year interim as well, in case the search for a permanent superintendent doesn’t pan out.

One thing Hague said sets the firm apart from other is the desire to be “as transparent as possible.”

“We have a lot of community involvement in the process,” he told the board. “They don’t decide who the superintendent is, that’s your role, but you can get input from a lot of folks.”

Before agreeing to the contract, LPOSD Trustee Lonnie Williams asked whether they should hold off and look at eligible candidates within the district, and also look into a variety of consultants, including the Idaho School Boards Association, which provides those services as well.

“It’s not necessarily a concern, I just want to make sure we are making the best decision possible,” Williams said.

Board Chairman Cary Kelly said an agency that the district has used in the past was contacted as the first choice, but they were too busy to take on any more clients at this time. The ISBA was contacted as well, and while the fees would be lower, Kelly said one reason he believes McPherson & Jacobson is a better choice is because there are local consultants. He said the firms network is “a little bit wider” as well, as far as recruitment of candidates. As far as local talent, Kelly said while there are some who may qualify for the position and they are encouraged to apply, he wants them to be a part of the larger process. Geraldine Lewis, the board’s vice chair, agreed, and said she wouldn’t want to consider internal candidates without having a broader search pool going.

Overall, the board members said they were impressed by the firm and are ready to begin the search for a new superintendent, whether they resort to a one-year interim or find a permanent placement.

“Even keeping in mind that we may not fully resolve the question until next spring, I want the community to be contacted and engaged now and start the search process,” Lewis said. “... I feel that this is a top of the line firm, so I am very comfortable that even though we are making a hasty choice, it is not an ill-advised choice.”

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.