Sonoma schools seek input in search for a ‘super’

The school district’s search firm has also set small meetings with groups and individuals.|

Valley residents will have an opportunity to tell the Sonoma Valley Unified School District and the search firm looking for a new superintendent what they would like to see in a new hire at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Altimira Middle School multi-purpose room.

“We want to find out what the public is looking for,” said school board President Britta Johnson.

Not only will search firm Leadership Associates hold a public session Tuesday evening, it will have three representatives meeting with service groups, community groups and individual community members during the day Monday and Tuesday in sessions lasting 45 minutes. As of Tuesday, 50 of these small group meetings have been set. Among the groups and individuals set to meet with the search firm include the Sonoma Valley Fund, the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, La Luz director Juan Hernandez, 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin, Police Chief Bret Sackett and three former school superintendents – Marilyn Kelly, Barbara Young and Louann Carlomagno.

“Tuesday night’s meeting will be a broad-based community meeting,” Johnson said.

The board will be looking for feedback on two specific questions:

What personal and professional qualities for an incoming superintendent will be a match for the Sonoma Valley Unified School District?

What are the strengths of the district, and what are the challenges you see for the district in the coming years?

“We’re looking for some broad feedback,” Johnson said. “And the meeting will be conducted in both English and Spanish.”

In addition, the district also has a survey in both English and Spanish on the district website at sonomaschools.org. The closing date on the survey is Feb. 9.

Respondents can either be identified or remain anonymous. So far, the district has received 192 surveys in English and 14 in Spanish.

“We want to give people a safe space,” Johnson said.

And the public also has an option to send an email directly to Becky Banning, Leadership Associates’ administrative assistant at bbanning@leadershipassociates.org.

So far, 23 individuals have requested application packets, Johnson said. “We’ve had quite a bit of interest,” she said. “The 23 include 13 current superintendents.”

The search firm has gotten nibbles from individuals not only in California but from Wyoming, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin and Connecticut.

Johnson said the school board will see all of the applications.

“They (Leadership Associates) will be giving us recommendations,” she said. “But we’ll look over all the applications. It’s important to have access (to all the applications).”

Tuesday’s meeting will be the only public meeting for input.

The closing date to apply is Feb. 26.

Johnson said the board hopes to approve a new superintendent at its April meeting.

“We want feedback,” she said. “We want people to show up Tuesday night.”

Leadership Associates is the same firm the district used in 2008 when it hired Pamela Martens.

The firm was one of eight proposals from head-hunter firms who responded to the district’s RFP. The original eight were winnowed down to two firms that were interviewed by the board back in December.

The search will cost the district $21,500.

The board decided if it doesn’t find a candidate that it have complete confidence in, it will not make an offer.

“If this search doesn’t produce an exemplary candidate, Leadership Associates agreed to continue the search until the district finds a match for the cost of expenses only,” Johnson said back in December.

Altimira is located at 17805 Arnold Drive.

Email Bill at bill.hoban@sonomanews.com.

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