Superintendent Search

The most important decision a board of education faces is the choosing of a superintendent of schools. The progress of the district is determined by the educational leadership, management style, vision, and experience of the individual who serves as its executive officer. A superintendent search is both exhilarating and exhausting, a milestone event requiring time, commitment, and skill.

While the decision remains solely with the board, the NJSBA Field Services Department has developed a very successful procedure to assist you with organizing, defining/refining, and processing the search. Cognizant of current educational requirements and trends, employment law, and the particular needs of your board, your Field Service Representative (FSR) is trained to assist you in structuring a search that is both appropriate for your district and effective in finding the best candidates. We also offer training in group process, decision-making and consensus techniques to prepare you for the myriad of decisions that face your board. You will have many questions and concerns, and our expertise can be invaluable.

Who Should Do the Search? -- A superintendent search requires a large commitment of human resources as well as good personnel techniques and complete confidentiality. Boards whose members have the needed expertise and are willing to commit the time and confidential support staff resources to the search process may choose to do the search themselves with guidance from their FSR. Other boards may be more comfortable in using a search consultant to assist in the process. Your FSR performs such fee-based consultant services, and performs them with a unique twist. Because of our working knowledge of your board, community and county, and because we represent the board of education, our only obligation is to you. We are able to provide personalized services specifically tailored to meet your board's needs. Furthermore, we do not desert you when the search is done, but remain as a resource to ensure an effective beginning to the new board\superintendent relationship.

Criteria Development -- A thorough superintendent search begins with a close examination of the internal and external issues which the district will face in the next several years. The board reaches out to staff, parents and community members for input to establish a basis for both short- and long-term goals. Using the district's identified needs as a base, the board catalogues its own strengths, and the strengths within the district and community, that will aid the new superintendent in attaining these goals. This enables the board to develop a profile which includes the experience and training, as well as the personal and professional characteristics and skills, which are most appropriate for your district's new superintendent.

The criteria established by the profile form the basis for your advertising and brochure, the initial review process and the interview questions. Time spent developing the criteria is analogous to the time spent designing a new building: success is more likely if the foundation is firm. Searches must also be grounded on a firm legal and ethical base, as well.

Processing -- Your board will be dealing with candidates who are professional educators; you will want to treat them as professionals, ensuring them confidential treatment until the final stages of the search. No matter who does the search, attention must be paid to proper record retention, correspondence that informs the candidate of the progress of the search, and safe handling of the documents you receive from the applicants. The NJSBA fee-based process assures this attention to detail, and relieves the board of the costs and problems of providing in-district clerical, telephone and mail support. Our NJSBA experience of handling more than 60% of the searches in New Jersey has shown that candidates appreciate our professional treatment, reflecting positively on districts that hire us.

Selection -- After the initial screening to assure a match with the basic credentials and criteria, the board will begin to narrow the field. Interviews are fundamental to this process. The board will use interview questions developed from the criteria, rating the candidates against these agreed-upon criteria. Your FSR, if hired as consultant to the board, will be available to perform the initial screening based on your criteria, will present to you a "weighted" list of all candidates, separated into groups by the degree to which they meet your criteria, and will handle all scheduling and interview arrangements. In any instance, your FSR will assist you with the development of the questions, help clarify the rating standards, and train you in effective interview techniques, reference checks and in-district visit strategies. NJSBA feels strongly that the final choice belongs to the board, and will not attempt to influence your selection. It is your search, your information and you retain control at all times.

Follow-Through -- At the conclusion of the search, your FSR continues to assist the board as a resource, in conjunction with your attorney, to develop an employment contract that incorporates elements of your job description, meets legal guidelines, and includes an appropriate salary/benefit package. We meet with the board and the new superintendent to develop a process for evaluation, and to clarify the expectations and procedures necessary to establish a positive board/superintendent relationship. Your FSR stands ready as a resource and facilitator long after the actual search has finished.

Some of this search assistance is available to you as part of your dues-based services. This assistance includes training in the search process, sample materials and questions, interview training, assistance with the superintendent contract and superintendent evaluation process, as well as aiding toward development of district goals and the training necessary to establish a firm board/superintendent relationship. If, however, you wish your FSR to serve as a professional employment consultant - processing applications, providing complete, confidential secretarial support, making interview appointments, and critiquing board interview techniques - there is an additional fee involved. Whether you choose to do it yourself with your FSR providing background or you choose your FSR's paid consultant services, you can be assured that your FSR is a dedicated, experienced professional, committed to helping you find the superintendent who best meets your district's needs.