The Saugus Union School District’s governing board engaged in a discussion with Education Support Services Group about the next steps in the superintendent search during a Wednesday special board meeting.
Topics included in the conversation were what focus groups would be providing input for what they’re seeking in possible candidates, the search timeline, and communication with the community.
“This is to ensure we have a clean, clear process. We don’t want there to be ambiguity. We take this very seriously,” ESS search lead Steven Keller told the board. He and Kelli Moors will be the individuals engaging with all stakeholders to better understand what person will best fit the district.
Trustees showed concern at the previous special meeting that the third person on the team, Suzette Lovely, was not present for the presentation when the firm was selected. Keller addressed those concerns and statedthat Lovely oversees Keller and Moors and works behind the scenes.
The governing board and district cabinet are in search of a superintendent following current Superintendent Colleen Hawkins’ retirement announcement last year, effective July 1.
Moors stated she will be leading the communication portion of the search and for transparency purposes the governing board will receive weekly updates on where they are in the search process and what’s to come.
She will also provide press releases that will be sent out to the community aimed to get residents involved.
“We want to make sure we hear from the people you want us to hear from. We want to be as thorough and as effective as we can and reaching out to them and letting them know the way in which they can participateonce the word gets out,” Moors told the board.
ESS will provide questions to community participants such as, “What are the strengths of Saugus Union School District? What issues/needs are SUSD facing of which an incoming superintendent should be aware? What qualities/characteristics are most important for your next superintendent in order to be successful in the role?”
Moors said the questions will give community members an opportunity to share insights into recent concerns, including issues district officials may not be aware about.
Education partner focus groups will include one-on-one meetings between trustees and ESS. ESS will do the same with the executive cabinet. Group meetings will be held with principals, office leaders and other support staff. The meetings are expected to last 45 minutes to an hour.
Other groups that will be included in the conversation will be student council, representatives for certified and classified staff, and parent groups such as the Parent Teacher Association Council, among others.
Stakeholder input sessions will be held in person and virtually. The online survey is expected to go live on Feb. 9 and remain up until March 6, according to the presentation.
ESS proposed a tentative timeline for the process.
The focus groups and community forums are expected to be completed by Feb. 20. A leadership profile presentation will take place at the March 3 regular board meeting. The job is expected to be posted on Feb. 9 and is expected to close on March 6.
Applications to review candidates will be made available to the board on the week of March 9. Dates for the first and second round interviews with potential candidates had yet to be determined following scheduling conflicts among the governing board members.
Contract negotiations will take place between March 30 through April 10. During either the April 21 or May 6 regular board meeting, the board is to appoint the new superintendent during closed session and the employment contract is expected to be approved during open session.
