Schools

School Board Selects Firm to Conduct New Superintendent Search

Five firms presented their plans Monday night. Ray and Associates Inc. came out the winner.

The search is on to replace .

The School Board heard from five superintendent search firms Monday night as they began the process of hiring a replacement for O’Donnell. After a closed session at the end of the meeting, they decided to negotiate a contract with Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, district spokeswoman Kristine Liptrot said.

The firm will be asked to return to Oswego on Monday to discuss the terms of a contract and answers questions from board members. According to online board documents, Ray and Associates' presentation to the board placed the company's base fee for superintendent searches at $21,000.

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Before the closed session, board members questioned five firms vying for the contract over the timeline for the search, transparency in the process and whether the talent pool for applicants would be diminished by starting the hiring process this late in the school year. O’Donnell, who resigned last month due to persistent differences with the School Board, is set to leave his post June 30.

The firms Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates; McPherson & Jacobson, LLC; Ray and Associates, Inc. and BWP and Associates each gave 15-minute presentations to the board. Each described in varying degrees of detail the process they use to hire superintendents, with all saying public input is essential at some point.

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Another big issue in the search will be the short timeframe the board has to replace O’Donnell. Board member Brent Lightfoot questioned each firm over whether starting this process in mid-March would “diminish the pool” of qualified candidates.

All firms appeared confident the board could make a quality hire by July 1, but most said an interim superintendent might be needed if the pool of candidates is less than satisfactory.

Tom Madden, a founding partner of local firm School Exec Connect, provided the most blunt assessment of the district’s timing problem. When asked by Lightfoot what he would do if he were a member of the board, Madden said, “I would seriously consider waiting (and hiring an interim.)”

Madden said the candidate pool would also be compromised by the fact that superintendents who could be inclined to take the position might not want to leave their current job at such a late time, leaving that district with similar short notice.

The firm that provided the board with perhaps the best guarantee of finding a qualified candidate was Ray and Associates. President Gary Ray told the board he would conduct the search himself and touted his firm's 37 years of experience in the field.

“I can work any search I want to, but I want to work this one. This is an important search for not only the board, but the students and staff members,” he said.

Ray said his firm offers a two-year guarantee while most others offer only one year. That means if a candidate placed by his firm leaves the district within two years, they will conduct the next search and only bill the district for expenses.

Board President Bill Walsh, who did not return calls for comment for this story, questioned a few of the firms on the transparency of their process. Each said it is vital to include the community at some point during the search. However, most encouraged a closed process to ensure the privacy of candidates who are employed elsewhere.

Ray said his firm employs an online community survey early in the process to determine what people want in their superintendent. Others said meetings with community groups could take place later in the process once a field of candidates is narrowed to just a few possibilities.

O’Donnell’s former position isn’t the only high-profile spot open as the school year winds down. Assistant Superintendent , having accepted a position with Township High School District 214. Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Marsha Hollis will retire at the end of the year. The board is currently in the process of hiring her replacement and will begin candidate interviews in the coming weeks.

Liptrot said Tuesday the search for Colvin’s replacement would begin in earnest soon, as the deadline for applications ended this week. The board is using the Illinois Association of School Boards to conduct the searches for Colvin and Hollis' replacements.


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