Although the Saugus Union School District’s governing board has yet to vote on who will be appointed as the next superintendent, the second round of interviews was completed on Thursday, and the process is now moving into the final selection phase in the upcoming weeks.
Trustees conducted interviews in a Thursday closed session and held the second round of interviews that same day, according to Saugus governing board President Matthew Watson. The second round of interviews was scheduled to take place in a closed session on Saturday, according to the Superintendent Search timeline available on the district’s website.
Education Support Services, the search firm selected to find the district’s future superintendent, delivered 26 application packets that met the minimum requirements for the position and the board narrowed it down to six candidates for the first-round interviews, Watson said on Friday.
The Signal requested the list of candidates, but Watson declined to provide it, citing the process was confidential. He added that the candidate interviews were conducted in closed-session meetings because contracts and evaluations inrelation to superintendents are permitted to be handled in that setting.
Watson said that the candidates being considered to lead the largest elementary school district in the Santa Clarita Valley come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. He noted that each candidate had different educational paths, but all were highly qualified and experienced.
Before the board entered the candidate interview process, ESS held a series of in-person insight forums and an online survey where stakeholders were able to share their insight on the leadership qualities and personal attributes they’d like to see the new superintendent. Current district challenges were also discussed during the forums.
Altogether, ESS received over 550 participants through the online survey, focus groups, individual interviews, community forums, and emails.
Watson stated that the board prioritized community feedback in the interview process.
“We along with ESS built interview questions around that feedback. Our community told us what they wanted, and we responded by tailoring the interview sessions around those needs,” he said.
“We want to get someone who has a wide breadth of experience from early in their career on up to the most recent position. You want people that have worked in school districts of similar size. The six folks that we interviewed yesterday, I mean we were floored by their applications, and they did not disappoint in their interviews,” he added.
The board did not bring the item to a vote during closed session, but it is anticipated to be taken to a vote during closed session at the next regular meeting scheduled for April 21.
