Cape Girardeau schools superintendent search varies from others

School superintendent searches vary from district to district. Timelines. Methods. Results.

According to people familiar with such personnel activities, many factors are at play and can greatly affect decisions local school board members make.

Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education members are in the process of hiring a superintendent to replace Neil Glass, who announced in late January he would step down at the end of the school year. Their hiring process included an application window of nine business days and resulted in two candidates applying for the job. Board members interviewed the candidates Tuesday, Feb. 28, and plan to announce their decision within days.

Mehlville, Missouri

Jim Hinson of Education Governance Leadership Association, an organization that provides "headhunting" services for school executives, said an ongoing superintendent search in the Mehlville, Missouri, district will span at least a couple months.

Mehlville, on the southeastern edge of St. Louis, has about 10,000 students, and officials posted the district's superintendent position Jan. 27. Hinson said the posting included state and national listings through the American Association of School Administrators.

As of Feb. 21, about a dozen candidates had applied for the job. Hinson noted the timing of the search is a bit unusual.

"We're at the end of the cycle," he explained. "We have a lot of districts that offer contract extensions to their superintendents from November through February."

He said a lot of superintendents have already signed contracts for the next school year by early spring: "So, obviously, if they want out of their contract, that board is going to have to vote to let them out."

As part of EGL's search process, the organization conducts a community survey to determine factors important to stakeholders.

"We ask them to describe their ideal superintendent to us," Hinson said.

Results of the district's survey came in last week.

From there, EGL will conduct background checks on candidates.

"That's not only reference checks but also social media checks," Hinson noted.

Normandy Schools Collaborative

Another school district near St. Louis, Normandy Schools Collaborative, began its superintendent search in June and hired a superintendent about seven months later.

Its process spanned several months, with district officials hosting a public meeting Jan. 18 for patrons to meet three finalists for the position, according to reporting from KSDK.

The district has about 1,000 students.

On Jan. 26, the district announced it had hired Michael Triplett, assistant superintendent at Olathe Public Schools in Olathe, Kansas, to be its next superintendent.

The district had faced accreditation issues after previously hiring a superintendent who was not state licensed as a superintendent and did not acquire the credentials while serving in the role, KSDK reported.

State association

Chrissy Winkler, superintendent search and member relations coordinator for Missouri School Boards Association, said Cape Girardeau's compressed schedule is unusual.

"Typically, we see anything from, like, 90 days or so to possibly 120 or so days," she said, adding many school boards opt to name an interim superintendent during the search process.

Superintendent positions at larger districts, such as Cape Girardeau (about 4,000 students), typically attract a sizable number of candidates.

"Depending on the salary range and also depending on whatever rumors are floating around about that district, we see anywhere from 10 to maybe 20" candidates, she said.

When asked whether two candidates for a superintendent position at a district the size of Cape Girardeau's is unusual, Winkler said the number might be.

"It kind of sounds unusual, but a lot depends on salary range, whether the board is getting along, whether you have had several superintendents in a short amount of time. So, many scenarios are possible," she said.

While Cape Girardeau's school board opted to not use an outside firm to screen candidates, the state association provides such a service.

"We advertise the position, and then whoever has applied, our consultants will call them up, talk to them and then present the application and whatever information they have obtained," Winkler explained. "We present all of them to the board, and the board decides who they want to interview and makes their decision from that. We do not direct the board. ... We present who has applied and what knowledge we have on them."

When asked whether she was aware of any reputational dings Cape Girardeau's district may have that could lessen its superintendent applicant pool, Winkler said she was not aware of any such issues, though she reiterated salary would play a significant role in attracting applicants.

The advertisement for Cape Girardeau's superintendent opening did not list a salary range for the position. Beth Poyner, secretary to the Cape Girardeau school board, said board members have not identified a salary range for the position.