Tuesday the Starkville-Oktibbeha School District Board of Trustees and representatives of the consulting firm it hired in November hashed out a game plan for finding a new school superintendent.
A little more than a month after Lewis Holloway announced his intention to retire at the end of the school year, the board has a general strategy. We like what we heard.
First, we were encouraged that there was some real thought and discussion about identifying what qualities the district expects from its superintendent. These were not just the often nebulous qualities that are too often advanced. After all, how do you assess “leadership” or “character?” Such measurements are subjective and make it hard when comparing candidates, since everyone has their own definition of those traits.
Instead, the board advanced traits that can be evaluated and measured: experience working in a district of comparable size, a proven track record of improvement based on student performance.
While other qualities are more difficult to quantify — trustworthiness and transparency — there are enough qualities that can be rated to compare candidates against one another. That takes a lot of the guess-work out of the equation.
Another part of the strategy we endorse is a real effort to engage all stakeholders in the search throughout the process.
In addition to three public meetings to get input from the community prior to the interview process, the plan calls for stakeholders to talk and listen to the finalists and share their impressions with the board members, who will ultimately make the decision.
We like this approach, but also recognize the real test is not just putting a game plan together, but following it.
Too often, we have seen similar searches where the process has amounted to little more than dog-and-pony shows designed to appease stakeholders.
In those cases, there was a strong suspicion board members had made up their minds long before the process reached its end. It’s like a jury reaching a verdict before the defense attorney has presented closing arguments.
If you believe, as we do, good schools are the most important part of any healthy community, then the position of school superintendent in the most important job in the city.
Choosing a school superintendent is an awesome responsibility and we expect our school board members to treat it that way.
We believe the SOSD has put together a good game plan, which is important.
But, as it is with most endeavors, success relies most heavily on how well that game plan is executed.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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