Superintendent Search: Board Hopes To Hire Someone By November

The St. Charles Board of Education plans to start the search for a new superintendent by September and hire someone by November.

Current Superintendent Randy Charles announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2011-12 school year during the March 10 board meeting. The Board of Education discussed a timeline and strategy for the search during the meeting April 14.

The board plans to rely on Charles’ expertise to find a replacement, rather than hire an outside search firm. Board members said they want to be involved through the entire selection process.  The position will be advertised starting Sept. 1. Applications would be due by Sept. 15.

 “Ideally if you were to select someone about October or November, you’ll be out ahead of most districts,” said Charles.

Board members plan to look through all of the applications and narrow them down to a manageable number. Then, a committee comprising board members, administrators, teachers and community members would select several finalists for the board to consider. The Board of Education will have the final decision. 

Charles said he would advertise the job on Missouri School Boards Association and the Missouri Association of School Administratrors. The district could send letters to individual superintendents advertising the position as well. 

Board member Donna Towers suggested the board first consider just internal candidates for the position. 

“I much prefer looking at people who we know,” she said. “We already know their work ethic.”

Charles said looking internally only can be a double-edged sword. If the board does choose someone who is already with the district, people may wonder if he or she was the best choice, he said. But looking outside the district and then choosing an internal candidate raises questions about time and effort wasted, especially when a district pays a search firm. 

“I don’t think it hurts anything to look outside,” he said. “It’s a little more work and a little more time… but it’s not costing anything.”

The board decided to flag any internal candidates they wanted to interview and push them through to the final round, bypassing committee approval. 

Board member Wayne Oetting said he worries that the district won’t attract candidates who will want to stay with the district very long.

Towers said the district may be viewed as a “jumping off place” for aspiring superintendents who would eventually move on to larger districts who could pay higher salaries.

“You will never know if you’re getting a candidate who will be here for a long time,” said Oetting. “There’s no guarantee.”

Board members plan to discuss what attributes they’d like to see in a new superintendent ranging from experience and education to salary requirements at a meeting next month.