Page A-20 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014
School Board hires consultant for superintendent search
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoncoun com
Shelton School Board mem-
bers agreed last week to take
their time searching for a new
superintendent.
While board members Jim
Carnahan and Sandy Tarz-
well said they were ready to
immediately begin talking
about priorities for the board's
superintendent search, mem-
bers Brenda Hirschi, Gene
Crater and Cheryl Williams
agreed to delay the discussion.
"As the board chair, I don't
think we're ready," Hirschi
said. "I think we need to drop
back and figure out where
we're going."
The board met at a special
meeting Oct. 16 with Michael
Boring, a consultant with re-
cruitment firm McPherson &
Jacobson, LLC.
The School Board recently
approved a $9,000 contract
with the company to aid its
search for a permanent super-
intendent.
According to the contract,
McPherson & Jacobson,
based in Omaha, Nebraska,
will work with the School
Board, advertise the posi-
tion, recruit potential appli-
cants, review applications
and communicate with ap-
plicants about the selection
process, among other respon-
sibilities.
Half of the contract fee
was due upon signing the
contract and half will be due
at the end of the search for a
Journal photo by Natalie Johnson
Michael Boring, a consultant with McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, of Omaha, Nebraska,
spoke with members of the Sheiton School District Board of Directors on Oct. 16 about
the process of finding a new superintendent. He advised School Board members to wait to
advertise the position until later this year.
new superintendent.
The contract was signed
Oct. 16.
The school district will also
be responsible for expenses in
addition to the consultant's
fee, such as advertising, travel
and office expenses.
Boring told the board that
the best time to recruit su-
perintendent candidates is
between December and Febru-
ary.
"We're meeting right now
earlier than most district's be-
gin the process," he said.
In a move that surprised
many residents, families and
district employees, the School
Board accepted the resigna-
tion of former Superintendent
Wayne Massie on Sept. 11 and
moments later approved hir-
ing interim Superintendent
Art Jarvis.
Jarvis has 47 years of edu-
cational experience and is
a retired superintendent of
Tacoma Public Schools. His
contract guarantees him $800
per day for 167 working days,
or $133,600, through June 30,
2015.
Massie will also be paid his
salary of $133,500 for the year
through June 30, 2015.
Jarvis said during the
Oct. 16 meeting that when
the School Board asked him
to come to the district, they
instructed him to act as
both a superintendent and
a consultant to the School
Board.
Boring is a former superin-
tendent with 45 years of expe-
rience in school administra-
tion.
"Between Art (Jarvis) and
myself, we probably approach
100 years (of experience),"
Boring said.
Boring explained to the
School Board how he would ac-
cept and organize applications
from prospective superinten-
dents and handle background
checks for all candidates.
The meeting lasted about
half an hour.
Boring provided Jarvis and
members of the School Board
with a planning guide for its
superintendent search.
The first step in the search,
according to the document,
is to identify characteristics
they want in a superinten-
dent.
Samples provided include
good written and oral commu-
nication skills, integrity, hon-
esty and other qualities.
When the board is ready
to begin the process, Boring
will ask members to generate
ideas on their own and then
work together to create a pri-
oritized list of top qualities.
After that step, the School
Board and consultant will set
a calendar to govern the su-
perintendent search, which
would include meeting dates,
application deadlines, inter-
views and the projected date
for naming a new superinten-
dent.
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