02/02/2015 – Superintendent Search Update

02/02/2015 Work Session
  Agenda Item – Superintendent Search Update


The board voted 5-1 to have a Community Engagement Liaison Group
Yes – Jester, Orson, Erwin, Johnson, Turner
No – Morley
Not In Attendance – McMahan
The selection of a school superintendent is a monumental task for a school board. Often, it is the most important decision a board will make during its tenure. In DeKalb County, the School Board and its search firm, Proact Search, will work to create and maintain a Community Engagement Liaison Group, to ensure a transparent and inclusive superintendent search process. This Community Engagement Liaison Group will represent every facet of the DeKalb County community, including, yet not limited to: educators, chamber of commerce members, parents, faith based leaders, political leaders, higher education leaders, students, philanthropic leaders, business leaders.
The Community Engagement Liaison Group will be a group of respected individuals who represent the DeKalb County community’s interests, and will serve the School Board and search firm throughout the superintendent search process. Each group member will possess a deep knowledge of school system, and will represent a wide array of perspectives from the community. Throughout the superintendent search process, the Community Engagement Liaison Group will:

• Assist in the coordination of community meetings to solicit public input on the position profile for the new superintendent;
• Attend stakeholder engagement activities, as appropriate, to speak to the needs of their constituents;
• Consistently speak to the needs of respective constituency, as they relate to the new superintendent;
• Report back to constituents on final position profile, and the stakeholder engagement report, which will both be created by the search firm and presented to the Board of Education for approval;
• Meet consistently, both in person and via teleconference/videoconference with the search firm, to receive recruiting updates;
• Assist Proact Search in recruiting, screening and recommending top candidates to the Board of Education for consideration as the next superintendent;
• Participate in stakeholder interviews of finalist candidates

The group will be led by the DeKalb County Board Chair and Vice Chair, and will include 13 other individuals. In order to create a liaison group that best represents all facets of DeKalb County, each board member is being asked to submit a list of a preferred representative from their district. This way, each of the 7 districts will be amply represented. Further, Board Members are being asked to provide a list of 2-3 business/organization members that can fill the remaining, at-large 6 seats.