Letter to the Editor
Monday, April 26, 2010
by Charles Steinhorn
To the editor,
I write to reaffirm the thoughts contained in the several excellent letters to the editor concerning the search process for our next Superintendent of Schools, and to offer a few additional remarks that I expressed at the Thursday evening meeting with the Board’s consultant, Dr. Charles Fowler.
Simply put, the search for the chief executive of a superb and high profile school district such as ours must be an open process that attracts and seeks out the strongest candidates available. While it surely is good policy to encourage strong internal candidates for administrative positions in a school district, the measure of such candidates for the highly demanding position of superintendent must be taken within a pool drawn from the best talent that can be found nationally.
I also would urge the Board to consider forming a search committee of nine to twelve individuals who represent the various stakeholders in the district and that draws upon a wide range of relevant expertise within our community. The charge to such a committee might be to recommend up to three candidates from which the Board makes its appointment. As is the case in almost every search for a college or university president, it is not necessary for the full Board to sit on the committee (although the chair surely must be a member of the Board).
Others who the Board might wish to include are individuals who have played leadership roles in school organizations such as the PTA or in community organizations, and even district faculty and administrators.
I would suggest as well that this Board-appointed committee play an active role in all facets of the search, including the selection of the search consultant, meetings with the many stakeholders in our community, and the crafting of the position specifications for the new superintendent.
We all care deeply about our schools. The quality of the search process for the next superintendent ideally should reflect and be fueled by this passion.
Yours truly,
Charles Steinhorn
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