011207 Wanted: hope in beleaguered school district
(the same old baloney, just find someone who isn't a crook)
By MARC HEPPNER
Should the next superintendent of schools be primarily an inspired educator with the vision and dedication necessary to motivate students and staff to reach their fullest potential should he or she be a tough and savvy CEO capable of running a $100 million operation with efficiency and a keen eye on the bottom line? Or perhaps the next superintendent should possess the skills and personality needed to heal perceived schisms and mistrust within the community in order to draw disparate interests together effectively.
These were some of the varied and at times contradictory qualities community members say they seek in the next superintendent when they met Jan. 3 with Charles Fowler, president of the Manhattan-based search firm School Leadership LLC. Surprisingly, only a couple dozen people turned out to express their preferences and opinion about future school district leadership despite numerous public announcements of the meeting, but most of the people in attendance spoke vehemently about their desires.
"The next person will face mistrust right out of the gate," said one parent. Others pointer out that health can costs are increasing rapidly and the superintendent will have to be a tough negotiator during collective bargaining talks.
Some people said they were concerned that the negative publicity following the release of the New York State comptroller's report and current litigation facing the district will drive candidates away. Others said the superintendent should be someone who is not afraid to face the community and parents and who can work effectively with the board of education.
"Everyone wants a healer, but the superintendent should also have his own vision, which will get people excited about moving for-ward," a parent said. "lie shouldn't just walk on eggshells."
Mr. Fowler said there are qualified people who thrive on those kinds of challenges and that his firm has already been contacted by a number of people who arc interested in the position. lie added, however, that the field of possible candidates is considerably smaller than 10 or 12 years ago, when a district like Katonah-Lewisboro would receive 125 applications and half would be from experienced superintendents. Today, a district can expect to receive only 30 to 35 applicants and less than half of them will have experience as superintendent. He said 60 percent of superintendents in New York State arc retiring in the next five years and that the average age of someone becoming a superintendent for the first time is 54.
"Therefore, we have to broaden our search to get a bigger pool of candidates," Mr. Fowler said.
Mr. Fowler said one hindrance in searching for candidates is that the job description in most districts has changed from education to management functions and many qualified people are turned off because of what the job has become.
One speaker said that indeed the superintendent needs to under-stand fiscal issues, but he also needs to be a visionary who is passionate about fulfilling those goals in the strategic plan that seek to ensure that each student reaches his or her fall potential.
"He needs to be someone who can be a leader and bring the community back to hope and excitement for new education issues — someone with high energy," said another speaker.
James Euchner of Waccabuc said that the strategic plan doesn't address costs. He said the growth in the budget has exceeded the rate of inflation and. enrollment growth.
"A lot of people want a better focus on fiscal controls balanced with educational goals," he said. "Our community is split, and the superintendent needs to have healing skills."
When asked if he thought the community's diverse expectations were unrealistic and how he plans to market Katonah-Lewisboro to attract qualified candidates, Mr. Fowler said that there are many districts that successfully balance good business practices with high educational standards.
He said the Katonah-Lewisboro School District is attractive on a number of fronts — its location; schoolchildren's attitudes, values, and behavior; the talent pool of parents and their willingness to volunteer time and resources to support school programs; and a committed staff are huge pluses for the district.
The size of the district is considered ideal by many leaders, added Mr. Fowler, large enough to offer a lot of services, activities, and electives to its students, but small enough to be personal.
Mr. Fowler said the community has many people who are politically astute whose talent and knowledge of the political process can be harnessed to work for change with legislators.
Mr. Fowler urged the community to complete the search questionnaire on the district's Web site and to submit to him or the school board the names of "rising stars" they know who should be considered. He said he's also meeting with 15 to 20 focus groups to learn their preleriences and points of view. His firm will then summarize the feed-back it has received into six or seven recurring specifications and will report its findings to the school board at a public meeting on Jan. 16.
If the board agrees with the specifications, School Leadership will use them in its advertisements, recruitment, and interviews.
Mr. Fowler said that in his experience it is preferable to have public input at the beginning of the search process but not advisable to have a committee consisting of community members and other stakeholders involved in the inter-view and selection processes. That role should be the board of education's alone.
He warned that the number of candidates will decline if the interview process is not confidential, because potential candidates might shy away from applying if it is public knowledge they are interviewing for the job and considering leaving their current position.
"The more candidates you have, the better chance you'll have of finding a match," he said.