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Home > Blogs > Springfield Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > November > 26 > Entry
Springfield selects search firm for recommendation
Springfield City Schools will likely hire BWP Associates to find a new superintendent and the district’s first permanent Springfield High School campus director.
Board members met in special sessions last week and last night to interview BWP and another firm, Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates. Both firms are based in Illinois.
The search, including expenses, could cost up to $50,000, said Board President Donna Picklesimer.
That’s the cost for both the superintendent and campus director search and both will be national searches. The state board of education’s recent national search for a new state superintendent carried a similar price tag.
BWP’s process includes gathering input from the community and staff members to create a profile of what the district is looking for in its next schools chief, according to the company’s Web site. They then develop an advertisement and solicit candidates they feel would be a good match.
The board will vote at a special meeting Dec. 2 and will hear a presentation from BWP at that time, she said. The process will include community input and input from staff members.
The board conducted the final interview last night and it was decided that a recommendation would be made in favor of BWP instead of Hazard, Young, Attea.
Hazard, Young, Attea is the firm that conducted Cincinnati schools’ recent superintendent search until the board terminated the contract after learning that one of the five finalists for the position had settled a sexual harassment suit brought against him by a principal in the district he is set to resign from in June 2009.
The board interviewed these two firms because they are “nationally recognized as the top two firms,” said Picklesimer.
They did not seek bids from other companies or organizations, she said.
But does Springfield need a national search?
Earlier this morning I heard from a Springfield resident who questioned the need for a national search:
“As Ohio suffers from an exodus of jobs to out of state and out of country employers, the (schools) of Springfield knowingly joins in. They not only are looking to hire new School Leaders from a nation wide search but have hired an out of state firm to accomplish the task. What ever happened to hire from within?”
Large, urban districts often conduct national searches to find a new superintendent. Dayton and Cincinnati schools are among the districts that have and BWP has performed searches for Youngstown, according to their Web site.
The urban districts typically have large populations of students who are economically disadvantaged, racial minorities, English language learners and students with disabilities and are contending with declining enrollment and the rise of school choice.
Many urban districts want to find a candidate who has experience in dealing with those issues. HYA markets itself as a firm that has handled significant urban searches.
In Ohio, there are 21 urban school districts as defined by the state. That’s less than 5 percent of the state’s school systems. If the search remains in Ohio, the district primarily would be looking at candidates with administrative experience in those 21 districts.
These districts do typically have more employees than many other districts because they are among the largest systems.
But in past searches in other districts, I’ve heard from residents who say they would prefer a hometown candidate who is already familiar with the district. Picklesimer said that BWP’s experience in Ohio was one of the things board members liked - the same could apply to candidates who have experience in the state.
Do you think the board is going the right direction with a national search or should they be looking for someone with ties to the area?
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