HUSD starts process to select next superintendent
Seeks community comments through survey

Arizona School Boards Association Executive Search and Senior Policy Consultant Steve Highlen (right) goes through the superintendent transition process with Governing Board members at a meeting on March 2, 2020. Seated in the front for a Powerpoint presentation are Vice-President Rich Adler and Corey Christians. (Nanci Hutson/Courier)

Arizona School Boards Association Executive Search and Senior Policy Consultant Steve Highlen (right) goes through the superintendent transition process with Governing Board members at a meeting on March 2, 2020. Seated in the front for a Powerpoint presentation are Vice-President Rich Adler and Corey Christians. (Nanci Hutson/Courier)

Humboldt Unified School District is losing its superintendent Dan Streeter at the end of June — and at a special meeting Monday night, the Governing Board started the process to select his replacement.

The first two unanimous votes were to spend $9,400 to hire the Arizona Schools Boards Association and its Executive Search and Policy Consultant Steve Highlen to be their agent in this process. As the price is under $10,000, the board was not required to go out to bid for search services.

This contract engages Highlen for four scheduled district meetings/visits combined with unlimited phone calls.

Much of the other talk revolved around the importance the board places in gathering feedback from all of the key stakeholders in the district and the Prescott Valley and Dewey-Humboldt communities it serves. They were clear they want to hear from students, parents, teachers, janitors, bus drivers, principals and district administrators, business leaders, civic officials and every other resident and taxpayer who wishes to have a say are who wishes to have a say in who they select to be the next district leader.

Click HERE to respond to the survey.

“It’s intense,” Board President Ryan Gray said at one point about the process to the nods of his fellow four board members.

The starting point of that process will be an online survey to be posted on the HUSD website as of Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m. as well as all of its other social media platforms, and the websites of all 10 schools. This computer survey will be seeking information related to the qualities people want to have in their next superintendent, including queries related to leadership and professional skills, financial foresight, communication, board and superintendent relations, staff development and decision making. The survey will also leave a section for open comments. The survey will be available through March 30 at noon.

Vice President Rich Adler said his hope is to break the state record on survey results because the board wants to utilize community feedback as they do what is the most important function they have — to select the person charged with the education of some 5,700 children. He said he would love to collect surveys from at least 25% of the community; the average is about 10 %.

The completion of the surveys is expected to coordinate with the screening of applicants. Highlen assures that this district is an attractive one for candidates, and he expects there will be no shortage of applicants. Unlike some search firms, Highlen said the board will receive resumes from every applicant for their consideration as they work together with him to narrow that field to a group of finalists.

Beyond the survey, the board intends to offer chances for district employees and students and the greater community to meet the finalists prior to the start of the interview process. The board suggested they expect they allot one day to school tours with the finalists to be followed later with an open meeting for all school staff that would then be followed a formal community presentation tied with a more informal reception where people could speak one-on-one with those men and women. For each forum, Highlen would provide comment cards that would be forwarded to the board for consideration the next day prior to beginning the formal finalist candidate interviews.

The board’s timeline to complete the search is flexible, however, the goal at this time is to hire someone prior to Streeter’s last day.

Highlen assured the board that he will serve as an advisor, meeting and interview organizer, sounding board, and spokesperson throughout what he says must be a transparent process. All decisions related to the search for candidates — until finalists are selected those names are kept confidential — and final selection is up to them, he said.

“My job is to make sure you are not going to make a decision you think is a mistake,” Highlen said.

Follow Nanci Hutson on Twitter @HutsonNanci. Reach her at 928-445-3333 ext. 2041.


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