Waitsburg School District sets superintendent search timeline

WAITSBURG – The Feb. 13 Waitsburg School Board meeting was preceded by a superintendent search community input session facilitated by education consultant Dr. Bill Jordan.

Jordan said applications and job postings are going out now, with an application close date of March 29. Jordan will vet applicants and perform background checks before bringing the applications to the board on April 8. On that day, the board will choose five to seven applicants for preliminary interviews.

Those interviews will take place on April 16-17. A panel of staff, community members and students will observe the interviews and offer feedback once they are complete. (This panel will not ask questions.)

Up to three applicants will be invited back for day-long final interviews to be held on April 23-25. Those interviews will also include time for the community to meet each applicant.

"We are hoping the board will be in a position to name a superintendent by the end of April," Jordan said.

Jordan's company, Northwest Leadership Associates, was hired in 2017, to facilitate the search for a superintendent to replace Dr. Carol Clarke who retired with the close of the 2017 school year. That search resulted in the hire of Superintendent Jon Mishra who has submitted his resignation effective June 30.

The contract with Northwest Leadership Associates included a clause stating that if it became necessary to perform another search within two years, that service would be provided at no charge other than coverage of expenses such as travel and meals.

"Dr. Jordan has good insights and we would be wise to take advantage of his services as it is a big savings to the District," Board Chair Ross Hamann told board members. Hamann said he believed the District originally paid approximately $9,200 for search services.

"The board reached consensus and agreed to take advantage of the opportunity to have a search performed by a professional firm to see what kind of candidates we could get. We left it open that, if we did not find a suitable candidate from a normal search, we will entertain bringing on an interim superintendent candidate," Hamann said.

Since then, Jordan has met with board members, students and staff. On Feb. 13, he welcomed community members to weigh in on the process. Below are the summary responses to the questions Jordan posed.

What do you consider the greatest strengths of the district?

A smaller district and class sizes mean more personal attention

Genuinely caring staff and administration

Strong community support

Community members remain involved/supportive of district even when they don't have children in the schools

What do you consider the most important challenges facing the district?

Need to increase academic performance

Lack of offerings such as welding, art, etc.

Losing students to Running Start and SEA-Tech

What do you consider the most important professional qualities of a superintendent?

Someone with teaching experience or who has been "in the trenches" rather than only in administration

Less concerned about a degree than an ability to be relational

Someone who is a problem-solver, which may not show up through textbook learning

A leader, not necessarily a career school administrator

What do you consider the most important personal characteristics of a superintendent?

Supportive of staff

Open communicator

Someone who will do the job rather than passing duties off to others

Thrifty/financially responsible

Someone familiar with small town America, who is willing to wear a variety of hats, even if that means shoveling the sidewalk or changing a tire

Jordan said that the job is posted primarily in the Pacific Northwest, with about 30,000 notices going to school districts, colleges, universities and superintendent programs. He said that every state is notified of the opening and the last search resulted in applicants from Florida and Iowa.

"I've already been getting some calls about the position," Jordan said.