Board Aims to Hire Superintendent by Mid-February

Dynamic. Innovative. Skilled communicator. Strong advocate for education and students. Approachable. Trustworthy. Transparent. Positive.

A long list of desirable characteristics for Elmbrook's next superintendent was developed Tuesday at forums with stakeholders, including business and civic leaders, parent-teacher organizations, staff, community members, students and clergy.

It has been 17 years since Elmbrook was in the position of hiring a schools chief. And people want to make sure the next superintendent maintains and improves the district's students programs and achievement.

Matt Gibson is retiring at the end of the school year, 17 years after he left his  superintendent job at the Stoughton School District near Madison to join Elmbrook.

Superintendents typically stay an average of three years in a district, said Ryan Ray, corporate director at Ray & Associates, an Iowa search firm . Ray said his firm's recruited candidates stay an average of six years.

Ray told stakeholders Tuesday the Elmbrook School Board hopes to announce its desired superintendent candidate at its Feb. 13 meeting. He predicted the district will receive 55 to 60 applicants, which the firm will narrow to about a dozen. The board likely will interview four or five candidates before narrowing again to perhaps two finalists who would be publicly named.

Many parents told the firm Elmbrook needs a strong leader who will advocate persuasively for students' educational and curricular needs, even if they may not be popular with the 80 percent of the district's residents who do not have children in the schools.

One noted the board meetings are dominated with financial discussions, with the district's assistant superintendent for educational services rarely involved.

Major themes were that Elmbrook remains a highly competitive, desirable school district with much to boast, from record-high test scores to great teachers to quality extracurricular activities. Concerns were that other districts are rising up to compete, and a state focus on bringing all students to an accepable level has lessened the culture of differentiation for special education and gifted and talented students.

The next schools chief also will need to help heal divisions caused by and redistricting changes.

It might be good for the superintendent to have had experience in a district with an aging population, one parent suggested. Another said the superintendent should be a parent, to best understand the lives of students and their families.

Ray said he expects to find high-quality candidates in and out of state, due to the desirability of working for Elmbrook. The state's collective bargaining changes for teachers and public employees may cause some out-of-state candidates some pause, but he predicted it would not be a recruiting problem.