The council dedicated a considerable portion of the meeting to outlining the superintendent search process, which has been the subject of careful planning and discussion. A search committee has been established to facilitate the selection, with an emphasis on confidentiality throughout the process to protect the identities of potential candidates and ensure unbiased deliberations. The position has been advertised for three weeks, and while only three applications have been received thus far, more are anticipated as the submission deadline approaches.

A significant part of the meeting was devoted to the development of interview questions for superintendent candidates. Council members were advised to delve deep into the candidates’ qualifications and to prepare for interviewing by considering nearly 60 categories of questions. The topics ranged from special education and social-emotional learning strategies to the handling of homelessness, transportation budget issues, and the incorporation of life skills into the curriculum. The objective was to generate questions that would reflect the specific needs and goals of the school district and the community it serves.

The council also contemplated the qualities they seek in the next superintendent, focusing on a candidate who is familiar with the community and capable of confronting the challenges faced by its youth. The prospective leader’s approach to collective bargaining, budget and finance management, and their relationship with the school committee were also discussed as topics for interview questions.

Scheduling interviews with potential candidates proved to be challenging, with council members trying to accommodate a range of personal commitments. Despite these difficulties, the council was able to agree on four potential dates in May for the candidate interviews. The council expressed a collective desire to ensure that all members could participate in the selection process. Efforts were made to include absent members by reaching out to them for their input on specific topics, thereby ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach to the selection process.

The clear intent was to ensure that the interviews would effectively reveal the candidates’ alignment with the district’s vision and the community’s expectations.

The orientation for the search committee was detailed, with guidelines on how to conduct a fair and thorough interview process. The committee was reminded of the importance of reference checks and informed of the need to maintain a secure archive of all search-related materials. The chair of the search committee was designated as the spokesperson, and the committee was instructed to direct all media inquiries to the chair to maintain a unified communication front.