Playing Matchmaker 

A district liaison committee can help boards find a superintendent that fits both the district and the community

For a school board, hiring a new superintendent is a bit like finding a spouse — friends and family all seem to have their own ideas about what qualities to look for and who makes the best match.

Ultimately, the choice of who to hire belongs to the board. But district staff and parents — as well as business groups, civic leaders and other elected officials — all have a unique take on what makes an ideal superintendent. Because schools directly impact such quality-of-life issues as local property values, crime, and workforce preparedness, the entire community has a stake in the superintendent hiring process.

The right hire can improve a district across the board — raising student achievement, boosting staff and faculty morale, optimizing budgets, enhancing facilities and bolstering community relations. A bad hire can take a district in the opposite direction and leave the board with a potentially embarrassing and costly mess to clean up. With so much riding on the outcome, an efficient superintendent search that results in a good fit between the board, the candidate, the district and the community is critical, according to Richard Loveall, director of the California School Boards Association’s Executive Search Services.

One of the best ways to ensure a good match among all these disparate groups, according to Loveall, is to include a district liaison committee or “DLC” in the search process. Liaison committees generally consist of about 12 individuals, each representing a constituency group, such as teachers, parents and local business leaders. They do not rank or compare candidates and have no say in who the board chooses to interview or ultimately hire, Loveall says. They exist only to offer feedback on individual applicants from the perspectives of the various groups they represent.

Liaison committees can inform the board about attitudes within the district and the community and can also help the board foster relationships with key constituency groups by making them feel that their input is valued, Loveall says. Although he understands that not all boards may want to involve a liaison committee, Loveall believes the advantages far outweigh the possible disadvantages.

Del Alberti, a former superintendent and executive search consultant for CSBA, agrees. “In districts where the culture is to be open with the community, a DLC works great,” he says. “Boards can use the DLC as a way to include all the stakeholders in their community, even those they may not have the best relations with. This allows the district to bring some of its doubters onboard, as well as its supporters.”

A search process that includes a liaison committee can also be an asset for the applicants, says Loveall, allowing candidates to meet and interact with representatives of the district and the community during the search and hiring process. This helps candidates determine if the job and the local area are a good fit for their skills, interests and lifestyle, he says. It also allows a candidate to step into a job with a tentative network of district and community support already in place.

However, Alberti cautions, when using a liaison committee boards need to pay special attention to the issue of confidentiality. Every committee member signs a confidentiality agreement but there have been instances, Alberti says, where someone talked to a neighbor or friend and confidentiality was breeched. Committee members are to offer their opinions only on the strengths and limitations of individual candidates from the perspective of the constituency groups they represent, Alberti emphasizes. They are not to compare candidates or make hiring recommendations to the board or in any way compromise confidentiality.

“But,” he says, “I support the [DLC] process. It works. It tells the community that the board values their opinion and it’s a very positive process in terms of making the community feel invested in the success of the new superintendent and the district.”

The criteria for what makes a good superintendent candidate and what the hiring priorities should be depends largely on perspective. Gale Koliha, a Northern California business owner from Clearlake, takes an active interest in his local schools because he believes they play a vital role in the local economy. In addition to the impact of schools on property values and other economic factors, Koliha felt it was important to serve on the liaison committee for Konocti Unified School District in Lake County because, “These children sitting in our classrooms are going to be our future workers, citizens and leaders.”

Not only was serving on the liaison committee a rewarding experience, says Koliha, he is also thrilled with the results. According to Koliha, Louise Nan, who was hired by Konocti Unified in December, has been a huge asset for the district and also for the community, which like many in California is trying to raise the level of achievement in its schools while also struggling to cope with tremendous growth.

Like Koliha, Cheryl Noll is also pleased with the results of the liaison committee she served on as a PTA representative for Lafayette Elementary School District in Contra Costa County. “As a parent with two kids in the district, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” says Noll of the recent search. “Involving a DLC is definitely a good thing from a parent’s perspective and it’s smart for the district. It allows the board to hear from so many diverse interests.”

For Noll, finding a superintendent who understood how to work well with parents was a priority. “The right superintendent with the right skills set is crucial in a district like ours where parents are so involved,” she says. So far, Lafayette Elementary’s new superintendent, Linda Weesner, is doing a wonderful job, says Noll. “Everybody in town is saying great things and I’ve heard nothing but the highest praise from the principals I’ve talked with.”

Even in smaller districts, like Lafayette Elementary, the pressures on a superintendent can be intense. In order to succeed, a superintendent needs to be someone who understands budgets and finance, someone who can manage people effectively under sometimes-stressful conditions and someone who understands curriculum and can implement policy. Among all these responsibilities, and a multitude of others, the superintendent must also be someone who can effectively communicate with the board and maintain good working relationships with district personnel, parents and the community.

“It’s not an easy job,” says Loveall. “It takes a special combination of skills and finding the right fit for the unique challenges of each district is vital.” In his work with CSBA, Loveall deals with all sizes and types of districts, from sprawling urban districts with tens of thousands of students to small one-school districts surrounded by forest or farmland to consortium districts that group together to provide vocational education.

Loveall, a former superintendent himself, was impressed with CSBA’s executive search program long before he went to work for the organization. “I knew that CSBA was unique in terms of its network of connections and its depth of experience with these kinds of issues,” he says. Even so, Loveall is quick to point out that districts have a multitude of options when looking for help finding the right superintendent.

Wherever a board gets its help in conducting a search for a new superintendent, it’s critical they deal only with organizations that have a history of operating ethically, says Anthony Avina, a former superintendent who is now an associate professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a search consultant to CSBA. “I can tell you horror stories about superintendents involved in searches that weren’t handled properly who ended up with real messes on their hands,” he says. If the board does decide to involve a liaison committee in their search, it’s important they inform the applicants prior to scheduling any interviews, he adds. “DLCs are a great way to reach out to the community but it’s important for the board to be upfront with the candidates. As a candidate, you don’t want any surprises.”

While there is no doubt the pressures and demands of the superintendent job are getting tougher — due in large part to the increasing emphasis on standardized testing and the No Child Left Behind Act — the potential rewards are also immense for those with the temperament and skills to excel at the job, says Loveall. “There is no job in public education, outside of the governance team, that has more potential impact for all students than does the superintendency,” he says.

Given the complexity and stresses involved, superintendents report a surprising degree of job satisfaction. According to “The Study of the American School Superintendency 2000,” commissioned by the American Association of School Administrators, about 80 percent of superintendents surveyed reported moderate to high job fulfillment. The study also found that a large majority of superintendents enjoy positive working relationships with their boards. And a separate report published in 2003 by the Education Commission of the States found that 93 percent of superintendents surveyed characterized their relationships with their boards as collaborative.

Recent research also contradicts widely held assumptions about high superintendent turnover. The average tenure for a superintendent is actually about six years, according to the AASA study, compared with about seven years for a college president, according to data from the American Council on Education.

In addition to an open search process that utilizes a liaison committee, Loveall believes another way to help ensure the district finds a good match that lasts over the long term is to follow up with a candidate once they’re hired to make sure they’re getting the support they need during those critical first few months on the job.

Carol Leighty couldn’t agree more. “As a first-time superintendent I was impressed that the organization that conducted the search didn’t just wipe their hands of me once the hiring process was over,” says Leighty, who was recently hired by Redondo Beach Unified School District in Los Angeles County after a search conducted by CSBA. “They’ve continued to check in with me and offer support and send me material on things I have questions about. I feel like I’ve got a resource for life.”

Although the demands of her new job are complex, says Leighty, who began her career in education as a teacher, the rewards are also plentiful. “I enjoy the challenge,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to take on new responsibilities, learn new skills and impact kids in a whole different way.”

Matt Nichols is a media specialist with the California School Boards Association.