Superintendent Search
The whole Executive Committee meeting today was about the superintendent search and nothing else.
In addition to the regular members of the committee, Michael DeBell, Kay Smith-Blum, and Betty Patu, the meeting was joined by Marty McLaren and Sharon Peaslee in person and Harium Martin-Morris by phone from Olympia. Sherry Carr was the only board member who could not be in attendance.
In addition to the Board, also present at the meeting were District General Counsel Ron English, the board staff, Brian Rosenthal of the Seattle Times, Cecilia McCormick, and I. Mr. Brewster of Crosscut did not grace us with his presence. Too bad he missed it; he could have seen how stable it was. There was a lot of strong agreement among all of the Board members and they worked very well together.
The bulk of the meeting was a conference call with the search firm. They settled on a timetable, the wording of the ad, and some details of the process - there will be five finalists. The Superintendent Search Committee consists of the seven board members and four others: one representative each from PASS, SEA, SCPTSA, and the central administration. Consultants from the search firm will be in Seattle in early February to conduct one-on-one interviews about what folks want in a superintendent. They will meet with each of the eleven members of the committee plus two students, two classroom teachers, the entire current superintendent's cabinet (Susan Enfield, Noel Treat, Pegi McEvoy, Bob Boesche, and Cathy Thompson), a representative from local 609, and a representative from the Special Education PTA. That's twenty-one interviews which is plenty. I really like this list. Neither Melissa Westbrook nor I should be included and neither should Lynne Varner or Sara Morris. We all had the opportunity to provide our input through the survey.
The search firm, by the way, is taking some guidance from the survey. They are also very aware of the level of involvement the community takes in our public schools.
I know that some folks are concerned that we're a bit late in the race and that all of the good superintendents will be gone by the time we get there. Don't worry. Our ad will go into the edition of Ed Week that comes out just before the big National School District Superintendent's Conference. In addition, the search firm will have an ad in the conference guide inviting folks to contact them at the conference if they are interested in any of the different districts they are working with, including Seattle. We're right on time and moving fast.
In addition to the regular members of the committee, Michael DeBell, Kay Smith-Blum, and Betty Patu, the meeting was joined by Marty McLaren and Sharon Peaslee in person and Harium Martin-Morris by phone from Olympia. Sherry Carr was the only board member who could not be in attendance.
In addition to the Board, also present at the meeting were District General Counsel Ron English, the board staff, Brian Rosenthal of the Seattle Times, Cecilia McCormick, and I. Mr. Brewster of Crosscut did not grace us with his presence. Too bad he missed it; he could have seen how stable it was. There was a lot of strong agreement among all of the Board members and they worked very well together.
The bulk of the meeting was a conference call with the search firm. They settled on a timetable, the wording of the ad, and some details of the process - there will be five finalists. The Superintendent Search Committee consists of the seven board members and four others: one representative each from PASS, SEA, SCPTSA, and the central administration. Consultants from the search firm will be in Seattle in early February to conduct one-on-one interviews about what folks want in a superintendent. They will meet with each of the eleven members of the committee plus two students, two classroom teachers, the entire current superintendent's cabinet (Susan Enfield, Noel Treat, Pegi McEvoy, Bob Boesche, and Cathy Thompson), a representative from local 609, and a representative from the Special Education PTA. That's twenty-one interviews which is plenty. I really like this list. Neither Melissa Westbrook nor I should be included and neither should Lynne Varner or Sara Morris. We all had the opportunity to provide our input through the survey.
The search firm, by the way, is taking some guidance from the survey. They are also very aware of the level of involvement the community takes in our public schools.
I know that some folks are concerned that we're a bit late in the race and that all of the good superintendents will be gone by the time we get there. Don't worry. Our ad will go into the edition of Ed Week that comes out just before the big National School District Superintendent's Conference. In addition, the search firm will have an ad in the conference guide inviting folks to contact them at the conference if they are interested in any of the different districts they are working with, including Seattle. We're right on time and moving fast.
Comments
I wrote to the Board, urging them to work as Board and to work collaboratively towards compromise and consensus.
I had also urged a couple of Board members to go it alone on the search or with a very narrow group. I'm glad to see they did.
This all sounds very orderly and doable.
Bravo to the Board.
There will be a page on the district web site with information about the search. The web page will have a timetable and other information. It will also include an email address for the consultants where folks can send suggestions, such as potential candidates.
Of course it would also be nice if the board asked the teachers what is needed in a superintendent. It would be like hiring a head of a hospital without ever talking to the nurses, doctors, aids, social workers, etc.
Teacher
I urge you to do your own surveymonkey if that's what it takes. The district website is to have a link to HYA to offer references, comments etc.
I'd rather see anyone OTHER than a PTA rep beginning with how entrenched the leadership is with central administration and ending with the fact that most schools in Seattle have middling PTA participation. Many don't have one at all.
Let the public apply for a spot, have a lottery. Point a finger at someone who has signed in at a board meeting. Pick a name from the list of SPS parents. Just don't give me the same tired hierarchy of PTA board names. Is there anyone in the group that isn't Caucasian and living in the north end of the city? Cmon district. At least attempt true community representation.
DistrictWatcher
At the end of the day, it is just the 7 seated Board members that have the final say, right??
Proposal spurs emotional debate over Seattle School Board power
But I don't disagree. DeBell loves the PTSA. That's because it is made up of people who look and think like Queen Anne-ites. (Not a knock on Queen Anne - just a comfort zone thing in style.)
Problem is most of this district does not live on QA. PTSA has no cred in my circle.
Add this voice to 'the PTSA DOES NOT SPEAK for this parent'. Find a different public voice on the committee.
Southie
Thank you for your comments regarding community representation on the Search Committee. It is absolutely necessary for the health of our District that the community would be ethnically represented and also that District Watchers such as Melissa and Charlie and Dan and Don and Rita and Chris and Dora and Sahilla and Sue and Eric and Dorothy and Meg and Charles and Ricky and Paulette and Jesse and others......who are extremely informed would have a voice.
Carol
I appreciate you had the conversation. The results are the same as always, so I remain unimpressed. Actually quite angry.
Southie
It may not be racially diverse but is economiclly diverse - from $5million mansions to section 8.
Looks like them/talks like them DeBell-ites are not all there is up there. And the "other" kids are the ones in public schools.
Just saying...
-JC.
Presechool,K-1, intermediate, middle school and high school all have different needs and probably different input. Why is it that the people who do the job and in the trenches are so poorly represented?
We keep talking about "reform" "deform" "hierarchical" "administrative" poor decision-making for kids, teachers and schools. And here we are, leaving out the most important piece: adequate representation by teachers. We think that two teachers - I don't know who or what population they represent - are adequate to meet the challenge to help determine qualities and to judge competencies for a school district the size and diverse as ours.
Herein lies the problem: lip service to teachers but when the rubber meets the road, business as usual.
Doesn't anybody else get it?
n...