The Boerne Independent School District board of trustees has employed the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Executive Search Services to assist with the search for a new superintendent.
The board has requested that school personnel and the public be involved in developing a profile of the leadership qualities desired of the person the Board should seek to become the new superintendent. The timeline for the Superintendent search is as follows:
Sept. 1: Community survey goes live on BISD website.
Oct. 5: Application deadline.
Oct. 24: First round of interviews begin.
Nov. 7: Follow-up interviews begin.
Dec. 23: Board votes to hire new superintendent.
Butch Felkner, director of the executive search services division for TASB, addressed the Boerne ISD board of trustees Aug. 28 about the search. A past president of the National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers, he said the selection pool has declined in recent years.
“ We’ve noticed … the numbers have dropped, dramatically,” Felkner said. “We used to run 50, 60, 70 names of applicants. Now we’re running somewhere in the 30s to the 40s. I’ve talked to our national group, and they’ve had searches where they maybe had four people apply.”
But, he said, the “bottom line is, finding the one.”
“ We’re looking for one. We’re looking for quality, and not so much the quantity of the numbers,” he added.
Boerne board President Carlin Friar said the district chose to with TASB after its past successes.
“The Board selected TASB Executive Search Services based on their exceptional track record with hiring Superintendents across the state,” Friar said. “We have had the pleasure of working with TASB for our last two Superintendent Searches, which resulted in amazing leaders in Dr. (Thomas) Price and Mr. (David) Stelmazewski.” Currently, the board is in the opinion-seeking stage of its quest for the successor for Price, who will retire at the end of the current school year.
BISD’s public survey accessible on its website asks the viewer four questions: what’s going well in the district, what are the top two or three concerns or issues facing the district; what personal, and what professional, characteristics are you looking for in your new superintendent.
The user can remain anonymous, but the survey allows the participant to declare whether they are a parent, a student, a community member, a faculty member. Felkner said such surveys usually average between 200-300 replies.
Felkner said while the search is open to any applicant, his firm will seek out qualified people for the job, to see if they have any interest in the position.
“We’re going to recruit some folks,” he said. “If we know of somebody out there that we feel would be a benefit here, we will reach out to them and ask them to take a look at you.”
The board will review applicants and create a list of six candidates, he said. Trustees will interview those six in late October and narrow that list to three for a second round of interviews in early November, before selecting their one candidate of choice.
“Nov. 15 is when you will come and name that candidate as the lone finalist,” he said. The district is mandated to wait 21 days before the lone finalist can be named as the next superintendent.
Friar expressed optimism the board will receive a list of candidates who will fill the position for years to come.
'The TASB Executive Search Service Senior staff are familiar with our district so they understand our unique and special community,” the board president said. “They also have extensive knowledge of districts and Superintendent’s across the state, which is extremely helpful for us as a board.'
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