Concord’s school board is hoping to hire a new superintendent by April 2020, with an eye to putting him or her in charge of the school district by July.
But exactly how the search for that superintendent unfolds is still being discussed. Board members are edging toward a process that leans on community engagement and taps an outside organization to manage it. But final decisions on how to proceed are likely to be made next month.
The rough timeline, which came out of special board hearing Monday, would put the district on a slow but steady path to turning the page on a rocky chapter. Superintendent Terri Forsten was ousted by the board during a closed vote in September, after an investigator reviewed how district officials handled allegations against former Concord High special education teacher Howie Leung, who is now facing rape charges.
After appointing interim superintendent Frank Bass, who is expected to serve through the end of the school year, the board has indicated it hopes to move efficiently through the process of finding a permanent fit.
“Time is of the essence in terms of getting the advertisement out,” said Jennifer Patterson, the board chairwoman, adding that she hopes to start listing the job by December.
Gathering in the school district basement Monday, a mix of newly elected and outgoing board members heard a pitch for one potential way forward.
Arthur Bettencourt, the executive director of the New England School Development Council, presented a $17,760 proposal to help the board reach its decision, laying out a process to survey the community, guide a search committee and narrow down candidates for a final decision by the board.
NESDEC, a Marlborough, Mass. based nonprofit, specializes in professional development and executive searches, and has offered consulting services for superintendent searches across New England, according to the proposal.
For $17,000, the organization would help with publicizing and advertising the job opening, mainly through digital means; conduct a community wide “needs assessment” to craft a profile of the ideal next superintendent; arrange interviews and help devise interview questions; carry out reference checks and manage all paperwork, the proposal said.
The whole process would take about four months from advertising to hiring, and could be kicked off in December, Bettencourt said. And it would involve the input of the board at nearly every step, he added.
“We consider this your search and not our search,” Bettencourt said.
The board would be responsible for drawing up a search committee – including making determinations of its size, make up and specific membership. That committee would review candidates confidentially, narrowing the down to a shortlist, which could then be made public, Bettencourt said.
Part of the process would involve community outreach. That could include an online survey, interactions with stakeholders across the city, and up to six focus groups, according to the proposal.
Board members, many at the receiving end of recent contentious public meetings as details around Howie Leung’s case came to light, stressed the importance of public engagement in the search process.
Chuck Crush said compared to the last process, when a 15-member selection committee helped pick Forsten, the stakes after months of tough developments are higher this time.
“I think there’s going to be a lot more interest,” he said, stressing the need for community outreach.
Board member Barb Higgins agreed.
“We have a tricky place in the community right now,” she said. “People want us to do well, but we aren’t necessarily loved. And I think that this type of organization … it takes some of the responsibility off of us.”
Like Higgins, many in the room seemed content with Bettencourt’s presentation. But the board put off a vote on whether to enter into a contract with NESDEC until its Dec. 2 board meeting, allowing time to review other options.
The search for an interim principal for Concord High School is likely to be much shorter. Former Principal Tom Sica resigned earlier this month after the board voted to terminate him following his handling of Leung as his superior at Rundlett Middle School and later at Concord High School.
Patterson said interim superintendent Bass will likely choose a candidate ahead of the Dec. 2 board meeting, at which point the board would take a vote.
(Ethan DeWitt can be reached at edewitt@cmonitor.com, at (603) 369-3307, or on Twitter at @edewittNH.)