Superintendent search: how and when?
I'm working on an editorial about how the Guilford County school board should go about finding a new superintendent.
And when.
We're more sure about the first question than the second.
The how-to model was set by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board two years ago.
You remember, of course, that Terry Grier was one of three finalists there.
You knew that because C-M identified its three finalists and put them through a series of public meetings.
Here's our report about those proceedings.
I spoke earlier today with Joe White, then and now the chairman of the C-M Board of Education. His counterparts here in Guilford might want to do the same.
White said his board gathered public input from the start about the qualities people wanted in a superintendent. Then it hired a search firm, and they all worked out specific criteria.
Eventually, nine or 10 semifinalists were picked, and the board interviewed them privately. But it explained that its three finalists would have to agree to public scrutiny. All did, although some reluctantly.
Putting the final three -- Grier, Frances Haithcock and Peter Gorman -- through such a thorough and gruelling process produced a very good result, White believes. It helped make sure that the public and key constituent groups would accept the final selection -- who turned out to be Gorman.
(Further back, the Guilford board used a similar process when it hired Grier in 2000, identifying two finalists and introducing them at public Q&A meetings. That was good but not nearly as intense as C-M's exercises.)
Not getting the C-M position didn't seem to hurt Grier, who's heading for San Diego, or Haithcock, who landed a top job with Florida's department of public instruction.
So that's the how. What about the when?
This is an election year, with six school board seats up in November. Potentially, a majority of the board could turn over.
So, should the current board wait to name a new superintendent, letting the board seated after November make that decision?
White told me that's the route he would take in similar circumstances: "Had I been going off the board I would have wanted the person replacing me to make that decision," he said.
That's logical. It would be awkward for new board members to inherit a brand-new superintendent they had not hired, and it might be equally awkward for the new superintendent. Just think if you were hired for a new job only to find a new boss coming in right after you started. It might make you nervous.
But a new board won't be seated until December. Should the search process be put on hold for several months? Grier will be gone by July, if not sooner. Who will run the system until a new superintendent is hired?
We're not decided on this question. Please feel free to help us out.
Comments (7)
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Here are a few thoughts:
- Terry Grier should not be allowed to remain as a lame-duck superintendent until his San Diego contract kicks in. The people of Guilford County deserve a superintendent whose first and only loyalties are to the Guilford County Schools. An interim superintendent should be named immediately.
- The superintendent search should be conducted in public. Definitely, the finalists should be brought in for public interviews before any decision is made - and the public should be allowed to ask tough, unedited questions during those interviews. If this "scares away" any potential candidates, then they shouldn't be applying in the first place.
- The school board should look locally. What we don't need is another one of these "parachute superintendents" who comes here with absolutely no ties to the area or understanding of the community. That's what happened with Dr. Grier and he left as soon as he got a better offer. We need someone who is committed to Guilford County, not someone who is using this job as a resume-builder for their next big position.
- Dr. Grier's annual compensation of $372,000+ in salary, benefits and perks is outrageous. Sure, the superintendent deserves a fair salary, but that is incredibly excessive when taxpayer dollars are involved.
We definitely don't need to pay someone huge money just because some school board in Charlotte or Atlanta or Timbucktoo is paying big money, but that's what has happened. It's the "Keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. I strongly believe we can find a competent, qualified person for a reasonable price, regardless of what other school boards are doing.
- Finally, I have very little faith in the Guilford County School Board's ability to pull any of this off. I feel quite confident that they will botch things royally before it's all said and done. Call me a cynic, but given this board's miserable track record, how can you not be cynical?
Posted on January 22, 2008 2:49 PM
The process should not be put on hold. A new superintendent could be in place for the start of the 08-09 academic year, several months before the next election. Those BOE members who are running for re-election should stand on their choice. As it is, half of the board will continue through 2010.
With the overlap in BOE elections every two years, the school system almost always confronts the prospect of a superintendent facing new board members.
Posted on January 22, 2008 3:07 PM
Thanks for the feedback.
The edit will not run tomorrow, so keep it coming. We're still pondering.
Dave, I bet most everyone would be delighted if an outstanding superintendent could be in place by the start of the next school year in August. Is that realistic? Maybe so, especially if the search concentrates on local, or at least regional, candidates.
One reminder, js: Grier is a NC native. When he took this job, moving from Tennessee, he said he'd like to end his career closer to his roots in Robeson County. Of course, it would be unfair to hold him to a sentiment like that.
Posted on January 22, 2008 4:41 PM
According to the San Diego newspaper,
"Although Grier won’t officially start his job until July 1, he plans to make several working trips to San Diego in the interim. He’s also developing what he calls a “100-day entry plan.”
Does that mean that GCS will continue to pay him to take these "several working trips to San Diego"???
The board needs to terminate him immediately.
Posted on January 22, 2008 5:17 PM
Grier is a NC native. When he took this job, moving from Tennessee, he said he'd like to end his career closer to his roots in Robeson County. Of course, it would be unfair to hold him to a sentiment like that.
*************
Forgive me for being dense, Doug, but you were being sarcastic, right?
I mean, heaven forbid we actually take anyone at their word these days.
Ian, the situation you describe is exactly what I was afraid of. It looks like Dr. Grier will be preparing for his next job on our dime.
Posted on January 23, 2008 9:01 AM
I spoke this afternoon with Alan Duncan, who tells me one task for the school board is to "straighten out what our relationship with Terry is going to be," meaning how and when to terminate their contract.
It could happen well before July 1.
Posted on January 23, 2008 2:39 PM
On the other hand, if the school board is on the case, it very well could take until midnight on July 1st to "straighten out" this relationship.
Is what Alan Duncan is saying like someone saying, "I really need to get my oil changed" after their car breaks down on the road? Shouldn't they have figured out a succession plan long ago - like, when Grier signed his contract? Why are they just now getting around to thinking about this?
It's also worth nothing that Duncan didn't say Grier would be leaving but that the school board would have to "straighten out what our relationship with Terry is going to be." I could see them deciding to let him hang around, collect paychecks and work on his San Diego plan for an extended period of time.
It's not like they've shown any urgency in dealing with any other issue. For example, school discipline - undoubtedly the most talked-about education topic in recent months - isn't even on the agenda at the board's upcoming retreat.
I really try not to be a knee-jerk negativist, but the more I hear from the Guilford County School Board, the more skeptical I become.
Posted on January 23, 2008 2:56 PM