Organizational Meeting with the School Committee

At an initial meeting with the School Committee, the organizational framework for the search will be formalized. This will include designating a point person and/or a Search Subcommittee of the School Committee, a timetable of activities that reflect the Committee’s preferences for the breadth and scope of the search, as well as who to include in the search activities and the order of steps to be followed.

Working with the members of the Search Subcommittee, the consultant(s) will seek input from stakeholder constituencies on the criteria to be utilized in the hiring process. This input, summarized by the consultant(s) and presented to the Search Committee will serve as a foundation for candidate selection.

 Seeking Community and District Input

 A plan for providing community and district input through forums and/or surveys will be developed with the Search Subcommittee. The Search Consultant(s) will assist the Search Subcommittee in creating surveys and/or conducting meetings with members of the community, parents, staff and administrators to gather information to be utilized in the selection process for the new Superintendent. The process may include:

• Training will be provided for the Semi-finalist Interview Committee. This will focus on the general organization of the interview sessions, preparation of interview questions, the avoidance of inappropriate interview interaction and the development of an interview evaluation/answer rating scale.
• Organizing and facilitating school/community focus groups;
• Providing a written report consisting of a summary of the results of the focus groups..
• Assisting in the design and distribution of a community survey
• Meeting with the School Committee/Search Subcommittee to share the results of the stakeholder forums and/or surveys.
• Developing a candidate profile to be utilized in a brochure and in the applicant screening process.

 Publicizing and Advertising for the Position

 The Center will develop a brochure that will include a full description of the position with an outline of identified qualifications and qualities for the appointed candidate. The community and School District will also be described. Final approval of the brochure including form, style and content will rest with the School Committee/Search Subcommittee. The Center will have responsibility for producing the brochure.

The Center Consultants will discuss with the School/Search Committee the breadth of advertising desired, reflecting the scope of the search and the allocated budget. The Center will assist in the preparation of the copy for use in advertisements. All advertisements will be approved and paid for directly by the School Committee. The Center will activate its extensive recruiting network, which will include sending the announcement of the vacancy and brochures to selected individuals and professional organizations, as follows:

• Administrators in New England currently holding equivalent positions;
• Executive Directors of State Associations of School Administrators;
• Placement offices of colleges and universities conducting school administrator preparation programs;
• Current educational leaders;
• Search sites such as School Spring and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and Massachusetts Association of School Committees; and if desired
• National professional publications, i.e. Education Week

 Applicant Recruitment

 The Center, through its recruitment efforts, will generate a pool of qualified applicants. The Center will go beyond traditional recruitment avenues and will be aggressive in its pursuit of nominations from educational leaders and experts. In addition, utilizing its database of executive level personnel information and its consultants’ knowledge of currently high performing school executives, the Center will directly contact selected individuals with regard to their interest in the position.

 Application Screening

 A process for screening of applications will be developed with input from the School Committee/Search Subcommittee. An application form, if requested, will be developed by the Center for use by the School Committee/Search Subcommittee. The form may include a required written statement on an education related topic. The Search Subcommittee will approve the topic for the written statement

The Center’s consultants will assist in the review of all applications utilizing the criteria developed for selection by the School Committee/Search Subcommittee. Center staff will conduct in-depth background and reference checks, before recommending candidates for a potential interview.

The Center’s consultants will interview those applicants, determined to be highly qualified. A pre-determined number of applicants, approved by the School Committee/Search Subcommittee, will be declared semi-finalist candidates and will be notified of their status. The names of these individuals will be forwarded to the Search Subcommittee..

 Candidate Interviews

 A workshop will be provided for the Semi-finalist Interview Committee. This will focus on the general organization of the interview sessions, preparation of interview questions, the avoidance of inappropriate interview interaction and the development of an interview evaluation/answer rating scale.

The Center will arrange for candidate interviews and will provide each interviewer with a portfolio of application materials, gathered on each candidate, prior to the interviews. The consultant(s) will meet with the School Committee/Search Subcommittee to discuss the results of the semi-finalist interviews and to determine the interviews of finalists.

The Center will assist with arrangements for finalists’ interviews and will assist with the development of a schedule of candidates’ visitations to the Hingham School District.

The Center may also assist in the arrangement for visitations by the School Committee to the current school/work location of the finalist candidates, if desired.

 General Administrative Oversight

 All questions from applicants during the application process will be directed to the Center’s consultant(s) for a timely response and shared with the Search Subcommittee at scheduled meetings. Applicants will be directed to send their credentials and supporting application documents to the Center.

The Center’s staff will create an individual confidential file for each applicant. A continuous monitoring of the receipt of all required documents will be maintained. Although the responsibility for sending in a complete set of documents rests with the applicant, search consultants will communicate with applicants in the case of misunderstandings or oversights in the application submission process.

Once the School Committee has selected its new administrator and the selected candidate has accepted and signed a contract, letters will be sent to all other applicants and candidates informing them that the search has been concluded and thanking them for their interest.

 Follow Up Activities

 If requested, the Consultant(s) will assist with initial contract arrangements between the new administrator and the Search/School Committee. A Search Consultant will be available to attend one contract meeting.