Richland school superintendent search starting over. Here’s your chance to speak up
People are getting a chance soon to talk about what they want in a new Richland superintendent after the district’s last choice left with a settlement rather than a contract.
As part of the recruiting efforts to pick a replacement for outgoing Superintendent Rick Schulte, the search firm is holding 5:30 p.m. meetings at Richland High School on Jan. 7 and at Leona Libby Middle School on Jan. 8.
The search firm, Hazard, Young and Attea, is spending the two days finding out more about what the community, teachers and other employees want in a new head of the schools.
Board members want to make sure people can offer what they would like to see from the next superintendent.
If people aren’t able to make it to one of the meetings, there will be a survey available between Jan. 6 and 17, asking similar questions.
Along with these meetings, the district is putting together focus groups made up of various groups from the district to contribute to the list of qualities they want from the new district leader.
The small executive search firm working with Hazard, Young and Attea, Human Capital Enterprises, began recruitment efforts earlier this month and plans to continue February.
Once they get a list of candidates, the search firm plans to narrow it to a list of eight to 12 final contenders. At that point, the school board will get involved in helping to narrow it down to two or three finalists.
Then a group of board members, administrators and union representatives would visit the finalists’ school districts, board President Rick Jansons. This would give a broader scope of opinions.
“This is different then the way we did it last time,” said Heather Clear, the school board vice president. “We are actually doing site visits before the finalists interview.”
Chance to meet finalists
The search is being led by a familiar face — Hank Harris, the president of Human Capital Enterprises. He was the same person who led the search for Deputy Superintendent Nicole MacTavish.
The district contracted with MacTavish to take over the school district in July, but was given a settlement to cancel her contract.
When Harris led that search, he advised the school board to keep a lid on the candidates’ names until they had picked a finalist.
This time the district has promised the public will get a chance to meet the finalists during a series of public meetings at the end of March. The community forums would come in the evening, Jansons said.
The teachers and other staff also would get a chance to talk to the finalists.
“I’m expecting a public forum as well as a public interview process,” Jansons said.