Supe search takes off Supe search takes off (January 14, 2005)

Consultant fees to cost $14,000 less than expected

By Julie O'Shea

The search for Mountain View-Whisman's next superintendent has officially begun. And it's going to cost a lot less than expected.

Last week, the board of trustees unanimously approved the hiring of a relatively new recruitment firm from El Segundo that promised to seek extensive community input during the four-month search process.

The school board had set aside $35,000 for a statewide search last year. However, consultants with The Cosca Group told trustees their charges for the superintendent search won't exceed $20,900. A rough timeline provided by the search firm shows that Mountain View-Whisman could have a new superintendent as early as mid-May.

The board passed on a $15,400 offer from the California School Boards Association and a $21,950 bid from Leadership Associates, the firm that brought Jim Negri to the district two years ago. Last August, Negri resigned after two years in Mountain View to take a job with a Contra Costa County high school district.

"I am willing to spend more money to hire The Cosca Group," Board President Ellen Wheeler said. "I believe they will find us a superintendent that has a commitment to our district for a long time."

Longevity was a key issue brought up by all five trustees during a special board meeting last Friday to select a search firm. Negri's resignation took many in the school community by surprise, and trustees have repeatedly stressed that they don't want to see the same thing happen again.

Frank Cosca, president of The Cosca Group who spent 24 years as a superintendent himself, said that while longevity can never be guaranteed, the school district can tack incentives onto the applicant's employment contract to encourage him or her to stick around for a long time.

Eleanor Yick was given a 10-month superintendent contract when Negri resigned. Her contract stipulates that she isn't permitted to apply for the permanent superintendent position. However, the school board can elect to extend her contract if it wishes. Yick, who agreed to the contract clause, said she told the school board when she was hired that she wouldn't apply for the job if trustees decided to hire a search firm.

Mountain View-Whisman will mark the third superintendent search The Cosca Group has overseen. While the firm doesn't have a long track record, Cosca pointed out that the two administrators his group previously placed have both been with their respective school districts for more than three years. In addition, most of the firm's 28 employees, including an emeritus professor in psychology, have extensive backgrounds with California's public education system.

"They are yentas. They are matchmakers," Trustee Fran Kruss said of the firm. "I think they could do an excellent job."

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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