2009.06.09
Board to query two superintendent search firms
In two weeks, Montgomery County's school board hopes to have conference calls with two national executive search firms -- Ray and Associates and BWP and Associates -- in hopes of deciding whether to use such a company to help find its newest superintendent.
The seven-member school board spent an hour tonight debating the merits of casting a national net versus a regional net to find its next schools leader, a discussion it has had twice before.
Two board members, Jamie Bond and Joe Ivers, said they are against using a national firm that could cost upwards of $37,000, according to individual requests for proposals the board solicited.
Four firms responded last month to the board's request. The two it hopes to speak with on June 23 as well as David Gomez and Associates and Hazard, Young, Attea. The school system refuses to release the RFPs, but in discussions tonight, board chairman Wendell Jones said he estimated the price range for firms to be about $37,000, including base fees and travel costs.
The firm's base fees range from about $19,500 to $22,200, said Walt Shannon, assistant superintendent of instruction.
The potentially high costs remains the crux of the debate. Ivers said he disagrees with paying to look nationally when local candidates could be just fine, while most board members said that local candidates should be pooled with those culled from other parts of the nation.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. The board has 180 days to find a replacement after Superintendent Tiffany Anderson's contract expires June 30. Already the district has received applications, but the board has not reviewed them.
As a compromise to the dissent, Jones directed board member Wat Hopkins tonight to contact faculty within Virginia Tech, Radford University and other schools to see if anyone there would be available as a consultant.
Hopkins suggesting forgoing the national firm if some other education expert could help to guide the board in its search, at least initially.
The board's phone meeting with officials at the firms is slated for 5 p.m. June 23.
