Superintendent search rolling Superintendent search rolling (April 08, 2005)

Public meetings coming to every campus this month

By Kathy Schrenk

Mountain View-Whisman school board members are continuing to seek public comment as they decide what characteristics their new superintendent will need to have.

The district and its search firm held three public meetings at the end of March to find out what parents, teachers and other stakeholders want to see in the new chief executive. They plan to hold more meetings this month, said board president Ellen Wheeler. In fact, there will be meetings at all nine district schools, she said.

So far, board members seem to agree with others in the school community about the type of leader they want, Wheeler said. They want someone with excellent communication skills, knowledge of second-language acquisition and appreciation of the district's diverse population. They also want someone who values school choice and has been successful financially with a district facing declining enrollment.

The board met Monday with Steve Goldstone from Southern California-based search firm The Cosca Group to review the ample feedback collected during the public forums. "This is a really engaged community," board member Gloria Higgins said. "They like to be involved in decisions."

Goldstone agrees. "There's a huge positive degree of community involvement," more than in a lot of districts, he said. There has also been "a lot of congruity" between the board's priorities and the public's, which bodes well for the district and its future superintendent, he said.

The board plans to start interviewing candidates in about a month. Board members will meet with Goldstone again on April 15 to review a brochure for prospective candidates and an ad to be placed in a state education magazine.

The new leader is expected to be in place by the end of July or the beginning of August, about one year since previous superintendent Jim Negri left for a job at an East Bay district.

The Cosca Group, hired in January for $20,900, plans to provide the board with at least five candidates by May or early June and help reduce the field to one in July. A new superintendent is expected to take the helm in August.

The board wants someone who will stay for at least three to five years. Negri, who resigned in August for a job closer to home, had only been with the district for two years.

After Negri's surprise resignation, the school board gave Eleanor Yick a 10-month contract, which expires in June. Yick, who served previously as the district's associate superintendent, has a clause in her contract stating that she couldn't apply to extend her contract. However, the board can invite her to apply if it wishes. Yick, who agreed to the clause, has stated that she wouldn't apply if the board decides to conduct a nationwide search.

The deadline for applications has tentatively been set for mid-June. Interviews will begin in early July.
E-mail Kathy Schrenk at kschrenk@mv-voice.com.

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