School Board Considering Options to Move Forward With Superintendent Search

The is looking at ways to move forward with a search for the school system's next chief.

Last month at the close of the school year.  He made the announcement early in the year to give the Board sufficient time to secure a replacement, he said.

At a work session this week, the Board heard a presentation from Bill Sampson, a consultant with the Georgia School Boards Association. The GSBA is a non-profit that exists solely to provide service to school boards around the state, he explained.

"Because of what you have here in Oconee County in the way of resources, especially human resources, this Board and the reputation you have, you'll have no shortage of applicants," Sampson said.

The process

For a flat fee of $8,000 plus the cost for a consultant to travel from Buford to Oconee County 3-4 times, the GSBA would assist the Board with the following, according to Sampson:

• Seeking community input. GSBA would brainstorm, along with the Board, ways to solicit feedback from the community. One example is to post a survey online and in the newspaper that can be submitted anonymously. Another method is to host a public forum moderated by the GSBA consultant, he said.
• Establishing selection criteria. Consultants ask the Board about what qualifications they desire in a candidate and provide the Board with sample lists of criteria.
• Advertising the school district's vacancy. The vacancy will be posted on the GSBA's website. If contracted, a brochure would also be mailed to all 49 other state school board associations and school districts around the state and region. 

Any response or question from potential candidates would be directed to the GSBA, taking a burden off of Board members, Sampson said. The Board would be provided with continuous feedback about how many applications have been received and from where.

The HOPE scholarship for applicants with kids approaching college age and better base pay scales may draw candidates from around the country to Georgia and Oconee County, he said.

• Checking references. A 3-member panel established by GSBA would review applications,  compare qualifications and rank candidates by tier groups.  The panel would also check references of those in the top group.

"We want you to be able to look at all the applications and have references on the top group," Sampson said.  "Once you do that then you decide how your are going to rank them and who is going to be in the top group. You make the decision about when you want to conduct interviews, who you want to interview."

• Interviewing candidates. The GSBA would prepare the Board for interviews, provide the Board with sample interview questions, and schedule the interviews.
• Finalizing the selection process. The GSBA would reply to all applicants about the Board's decisions.  The Oconee County Board of Education must narrow down the candidates to a couple of finalists. A 14-day waiting period follows before the Board members can disclose and vote for, in an open meeting, their top choice.

Creating a time line

Sampson estimated the search would take between 2.5-3.5 months to complete, including a 5-6 week application process.

"The whole process we want to be as transparent as possible, so we establish a time line, " he said.

If the process is ever challenged, there is a law firm that would step in and work to resolve any issues, he added.

Whether or not the Board contracts the GSBA consultants, the organization will assist Oconee County with the search by helping to publicize the vacancy on its website and recommending good candidates.

"I can assure you that we will support you regardless of what you choose," Sampson said.

Do you think the school board should contract the GSBA?