WILLMAR - The Willmar School Board hopes to have a new superintendent on board by July 1.
The board met Monday with a representative of the Minnesota School Boards Association to discuss a timeline for the search.
Current Superintendent Jerry Kjergaard is retiring on June 30.
The board will hire the MSBA to conduct a search at a cost not to exceed $8,500. The fee includes consulting time, travel and expenses. The school district will pay fees for postage, printing and advertising.
The board and MSBA consultant Sandy Grundlach discussed an ambitious timetable which could have the job offered to a final candidate in the first half of May. The school district is also preparing for a $51.6 million bond referendum election on May 19.
Grundlach said the board was in a good position to start the search, as it recently approved a superintendent’s job description.
The job opening is already posted on the MSBA website and on other recognized state and national websites. Grundlach warned the board that the pool of potential candidates is not deep.
Board member Mike Reynolds suggested that hiring a superintendent is the most important thing the board does.
“This is the one thing we do as a group, the seven of us, that we’re responsible for,” he said. Much of the board’s work involves setting policy to be carried out by the superintendent and staff.
The school district plans to conduct an online survey of the community about the qualifications people feel will be important in the next superintendent. To do the survey rather than holding community forums which are usually not well attended.
Before the April 10 application deadline, the board will approve a brochure for potential candidates and refine its hiring criteria.
On Monday the board discussed whether the applicants should have experience as a superintendent. Many board member said they believed superintendent experience was important. Others said an assistant superintendent from a large district would also be acceptable.
Board member Jared Anez said the restriction could rule out some good candidates. Board members agreed to have Grundlach also recommend candidates who had other notable experience.
Reynolds said he didn’t see how someone with principal experience could be successful as a superintendent of a large, diverse district like Willmar’s.
Grundlach and the MSBA staff will review and screen applicants before making recommendations to the board. The board will choose finalists on April 20.
Once the board decides to interview a candidate, his or her name becomes public, according to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. General information about all candidates’ qualifications and employment are public information throughout the process.
The first interviews will be April 24 and 25.
The board will narrow that field to two or three candidates who will be invited to return for second interviews, tours and other meetings on April 30.
After the second interview, a committee of the board will make visits to the school districts where those candidates currently work.
If all goes according to schedule, the board plans to make its final selection at its May 11 regular meeting. If the candidate accepts, contract negotiations would take place in May, and a contract would be approved in early June.
Reynolds asked what the board would do if none of the candidates seemed to be a good fit for the Willmar Public Schools. Grundlach said her services would include finding an interim superintendent if it comes to that.
