Superintendent Search FAQs

Self-Directed – The Board of Education is responsible for all aspects of planning, coordinating and executing the Superintendent Search. This can be a cost-saving but time-consuming process, and is typically utilized by Boards that already have multiple internal qualified candidates in mind.

Search Firm – Search Firms are professional recruiters who have extensive experience conducting leadership search processes for school districts and universities. They provide full-service searches and recruitment. There are costs for these services, and the firm may not be as familiar with the local region and District-specific needs.

District Superintendent/Search Consultant – The District Superintendent of the Sole Supervisory District of Oneida-Herkimer-Madison Counties and BOCES, Patricia N. Kilburn, Ed.D., serves as the field representative of the New York State Commissioner of Education and as the Executive Officer of the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES. In her role as the Commissioner's representative, she acts as a consultant for individual school districts and as a liaison between districts and the State Education Department. Upon request, she can also be appointed by a Board of Education to act as a consultant in the Board’s selection of a Superintendent of Schools.

The Search Consultant’s duty is to assist the Board in recruiting, screening and evaluating candidates for the Superintendent of Schools position. This includes helping to develop selection criteria, coordinating and facilitating meetings with stakeholder groups, developing materials describing the position, placing advertisements, screening applicants and assisting the Board throughout the interview process. In addition to this, the Search Consultant also serves as the single point of contact for the Superintendent Search.

There is no fee for the work completed by Dr. Kilburn during the Superintendent Search as it is part of the job responsibilities for the District Superintendent position. However, there are ancillary expenses associated with the search, such as advertising/marketing, recruiting, forum coordination by additional facilitators, data analysis, communications, media relations, publications, etc.

At the beginning of a Superintendent Search, the Board considers elements of the search, including search type (open or confidential), search scope (state-wide or national), marketing (digital, print, media, etc.), salary range, interview and meeting dates, and a search timeline.

The Board actively participates in the process; drafting a guiding statement for the search, selecting candidates, participating in candidate interviews, developing and reviewing candidate assignments, negotiating a contract and appointing the new Superintendent of Schools.

A Superintendent Search requires a six-month commitment from the Board. This includes approximately eight meetings, usually three or more hours each, often on consecutive days and consecutive weeks. Board confidentiality throughout the process is key to ensuring the integrity of the search and preventing candidates from removing themselves from consideration due to a breach of confidentiality.

Yes, the Search Consultant provides the Board with the application materials submitted by all candidates who apply for the Superintendent of Schools position. The Search Consultant will screen applications to make sure they meet the qualifications established by the Board and follow up with applicants to ensure all application materials are as complete as possible, and the Board ultimately receives copies of all application materials received from all candidates.

The final decision of selecting and appointing a new Superintendent of Schools rests solely with the Board of Education. While community and stakeholder input are valued and relied upon throughout the search process, the Board of Education, consisting of members elected by their community, ultimately holds the sole authority to appoint a Superintendent of Schools and enter into an employment contract with the successful candidate.

From appointing Dr. Kilburn as the Search Consultant to appointing and announcing a new Superintendent of Schools, a Superintendent Search will typically last about six months. This can vary depending on the number of applicants and any challenges the search encounters.

Gather feedback from stakeholders; analyze data to design the search; market and advertise for the position; review, screen, vet and background check candidates; conduct interviews; contract negotiations and appointment of the new Superintendent of Schools.

The two most common types of Superintendent Searches are: 

Open Search - During an open search, candidate names are disclosed to the public at some point during the search. Typically, this occurs when the Board has selected finalists. In this circumstance, application evaluations and some candidate interviews will be conducted confidentially, with the participation of representative stakeholder groups to help evaluate finalist candidates. This can include stakeholders such as students, instructional staff, administrators, labor unions and parents/caregivers watching, observing or engaging with candidates and then providing feedback on each individual. Input from these groups is provided to the Board, however only the Board of Education, may hire a superintendent. This type of search may provide a greater sense of transparency for the school community, yet it may limit the number of candidates who apply or participate in the search.  

Confidential Search - During a confidential search, all candidate names remain confidential for the entire process, up to and through a Board appointment. Confidential searches are typically used in an effort to attract experienced administrators who maintain positive collaborative relationships with their communities and Boards of Education. The nature of a confidential search allows candidates to participate in the process while mitigating the risk to their current circumstance, a consideration that inhibits some leaders from applying for other positions through open search processes. Currently, the Superintendent Search process in New York state is competitive. A confidential search may place a district in the position to attract a larger pool of highly qualified, experienced applicants, though this is not guaranteed.

With both types of searches, the Board initially seeks stakeholder input with regard to the characteristics and qualifications sought for the next Superintendent, key strengths and attributes of the District, and potential areas for growth and improvement.

During the search process, input will be gathered through surveys and a series of stakeholder focus groups. The feedback gained from stakeholders is used in the following ways:

• Data from the various surveys, ThoughtExchanges and focus groups are used to draft a guiding statement for the search. The statement is designed to capture the significant themes and perspectives expressed by the school community regarding the needs of the District and what it seeks from the new superintendent. This statement is used throughout the search.
   

• The guiding statement and stakeholder data are used in the development of questions, scenarios, written work and assignments that candidates must complete. The guiding statement is also used to continuously gauge each applicant's fit with the District throughout the search process and maintain a focus on the themes and priorities that were identified by stakeholders.

Some challenges the search may encounter can include a lack of viable candidates, candidates removing themselves from consideration and/or contract negotiations falling through. Any of these situations could cause the search to be unsuccessful.

If the BOE does not feel that they have a successful candidate, they can choose to terminate the search at any time and reopen it after a pause. The Search Consultant would help the District to secure an interim Superintendent of Schools during this time, if necessary.