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The Crookston School Board met Monday afternoon for a special meeting to discuss progress in the search for its next superintendent.
The meeting began with the stakeholder board reviewing information from the survey they had sent out to the public earlier in the month. Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn said they received 255 responses, mostly from staff members and parents. One of the questions they asked was what leadership skills do stakeholders think a superintendent should possess. 83.9% of respondents selected “Act with honesty and integrity”, with 65.5% looking for accountability/integrity. When asked about their best personal qualities, 74.5% said honesty/reliability was most important, with visibility/approachability in school and the community at 59.6%. What areas of growth did people think would be best for a leader to address in the next 3-5 years, the top choice was management skills/ensuring financial stability in declining enrollment, next was finding ways to increase/stabilize student enrollment . Other highly selected options were to make Crookston School a desirable destination for students to attend and improve the focus on academic achievement and the ability to provide qualified teachers and support staff to serve the educational needs of children in the district. Interim Superintendent Kuehn reported that the responses were consistent with what the school board was looking for in the next superintendent. “A lot of the things that came from the stakeholder input confirmed that I think the board has a really good handle on what they’re looking for in the next superintendent, as well as the challenges,” Interim Superintendent Dave Kuehn explained. “I think the board already understands that, but I think it was borne out by the responses they got from the survey.”
The board then began reviewing the superintendent’s schedule and search process. Minnesota School Boards Association Lee Warne said the deadline for candidates to submit applications will be Monday, February 6. After the deadline, the Association will send applications, letters of reference and other information on all applications to the Board for them to review as they meet with the applicants and their reference list. On February 15, the Association will send a list of candidates they believe best fit the position profile to the Board to select who to interview. Warne then addressed some protected categories of questions that they should not ask certain applicants, such as how long they would be on the job if they have special conditions such as pregnancy, an arrest history or military service.
The board then began a review and discussion of the protocol and interview process for the superintendent position. Warne first entered the Equal Employment Opportunity Protocol. He explained that there are some qualifications and possibly the names of the candidates that they cannot share with the public. The only way they could share this information was if they were selected as a finalist for a vacancy, but information about the others who failed would never be revealed. When discussing the candidates, they had to use secret phrases to describe them (Candidate A, B, etc.). They will also need to be vague about their past experience to prevent any information from leaking out. The Board will then work with the Association to privately contact all applicants who have requested interviews. The association will also help the school accommodate all applicants who come from long distances when they come for an interview. The next protocol they discussed was the Open Meetings Act, which stated that all meetings must be open to the public. Although they could meet for closed meetings on certain topics, they were not allowed to have private meetings. He also went into common interview questions, saying that while they were learning about interview candidates, it was the same with the candidate for them, and recommended that they do their best for the interviews and possibly give them a tour of the schools in the second round.
The board then began developing the first round of interview questions. Lee Warne suggested fifteen questions for the board to use in the interview process, such as;
- What made them apply for the position of superintendent?
- How would they go about maintaining a strong leadership team?
- How will they work to improve the educational experience for students who have historically been underserved and underrepresented?
- What was their experience with school finances and what were the most unpopular decisions they made that were not popular with the school and the community?
- What motivated them to motivate those in the school district who resisted change while building trust in the school and community?
- How would they approach round-robin reviews and potential changes leading to improved test scores?
“I think they’re looking to see if applicants have knowledge and experience in curriculum areas and good instruction in terms of financial accountability, people skills, communication skills. Those skills and traits of the next superintendent that we hope the questions will draw that information out of the candidates when they answer,” explained Dave Kuehn. “Many of the questions ask what does this school district leader bring to this communication, personal skills, financial ability, what is their knowledge and experience in working with different populations, referenda and many different areas that superintendents are charged with leading and directing .”
The board then started working out the interview schedule. They will begin the first round of interviews on Tuesday, February 21 and Thursday, February 23 at 3:00 p.m., with each candidate receiving one hour with a fifteen minute break between each interview and a half hour break after three candidates. At 18:45, the board will discuss which candidates will advance to the second round with their top three choices.
The board then began discussing interview procedures. Warne suggested the board have someone keep track of the interview time to help them move forward with the long answers. Another suggestion was to use the same questions for each candidate to ensure it was fair for all candidates. The board made a motion to confirm the questions they will ask on Wednesday, February 15.
The board concluded the meeting by discussing and scheduling the steps necessary for the remainder of the hiring process. Warne announced that the second round is scheduled for February 25, starting at 9:55 a.m., for the three candidates the board will choose to proceed with.
The Crookston Public Schools Board will meet on Monday, February 27.
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