[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6193884,"mediaKeyId","3865161-240a58a60703366e056d0cb6f39eeb51","parentId",3865161,"title","Vancouver board interviews three superintendent-search firms; deliberation set for next morning","audioSeconds",10810,"startMs",1726000,"endMs",12536000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3865161-240a58a60703366e056d0cb6f39eeb51&start=1726&end=12536","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3865161-240a58a60703366e056d0cb6f39eeb51/thumbnail_1726000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6193884/Washington/Vancouver-board-interviews-three-superintendent-search-firms-deliberation-set-for-next-morning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6193884-63cb65f4c7c993284aa2218f19d6e1f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1775316179&Signature=LACa80C1LhMFuY0Weisk78ltMxrTymqSbbyTt0adMDHXpKvgSGe5iH3nDV~2NqraRdbbYO1-kIo6LlX2Ik6-L6T~rxXnbePB3wfTHFQIJhcPdlWUSQ9ff4PCARj1NjNBNYWrfJjDR4NVNNpGrHoph5Hs9FRRaXAM-u~fQ4hI8wYLWZYA7BsNzgiZXEW3KR~aEBtNcnXx~goGiAgDzL0OSJqYISqJ-jCks9m0OT53bFMWNHe3o-C47lxJKCQIpjgtrSplFvulU1n9BKEqn8OZzCL76J7Y~cGZTxi7IYKp6pWOBW3q5HNMD6lokn0h7rQEMPHGDJ~d1tD92oPo-DOABA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Vancouver School District, Washington","date","2025-06-19T12:46:14.517Z","article","The Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors interviewed three firms on June 17 to lead the district’s search for a permanent superintendent: Ray and Associates, Hazard, Young, Attea (HYA), and McPherson & Jacobson.

Board Chair Kathy Decker said the interviews would inform a deliberation session scheduled for the board the next morning at 9 a.m., when directors will decide which firm to select for the work.

Each firm outlined a multi-stage search process that emphasized community engagement, diverse candidate recruitment and thorough vetting. Ray and Associates’ Libra Ford described a five-stage process that begins with board and stakeholder interviews and a “31 quality” survey to rank candidate traits; the firm said it would recruit aggressively to yield a large, high-quality candidate pool. Ford said, “We want to make this a tough decision for you. We don't want to make it an easy decision for you. You should have many candidates to choose from that you should love all of them.”

Hazard, Young, Attea (HYA) consultants — including Chris McDuffie, John Bash and Sylvia Ybarra — described four phases: planning, engagement, recruitment and transition. McDuffie told the board that HYA customizes stakeholder engagement and provides a confidential board portal to house applicant materials, calendar items and reports. HYA proposed an engagement timeline starting in late summer and suggested a possible application deadline in early January with finalist selection in January–February; McDuffie said the firm would share a leadership-profile report compiled from stakeholder input with applicants and the board.

McPherson & Jacobson representatives Steve Louder and Mary Alice Hushel emphasized the firm’s national network and active recruitment of both active and passive candidates. Louder noted the firm’s willingness to be flexible with timelines and transition arrangements and said McPherson & Jacobson would remain with the district “until you have a stellar candidate, to offer a position to,” adding a pricing assurance: “it's not gonna happen. I can sit here today and tell you that it will not happen. If it did happen, we guarantee that we will stick with you until you do find that person... and we're not gonna charge any more money except travel costs or printing costs or advertising costs.” Louder referenced a base fee figure during the interview.

Board members pressed firms on ensuring diverse candidate pools, outreach to traditionally underserved families and students, and candidate vetting. Each firm described layered approaches: targeted advertising, outreach to professional affinity groups, multi-language surveys and in-person forums, student-focused engagement and deeper reference and social-media checks to screen candidates’ records.

Directors stressed community input and asked whether stakeholder engagement would be a one-time event or ongoing through the search. Firms said engagement happens in stages: an initial profile-building phase, ongoing stakeholder input during recruitment, and public forums and finalist visits at the selection stage. Ray and Associates noted that stakeholder feedback includes online surveys, focus groups and candidate videos; HYA highlighted its board portal and a comprehensive leadership-profile report; McPherson & Jacobson recommended candidate 30/60/90-day entry plans and optional early transition arrangements for finalists.

No contract award or vote took place on June 17. Decker said staff would notify firms after board deliberation on the morning of June 18.

Less-critical details: firms described guarantees or replacement terms if a placed superintendent leaves within a multi-year window and offered to tailor timelines and outreach channels to the board’s preferences.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","VPS Committee of the Whole 06/17/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors held candidate interviews with three search firms — Ray and Associates, Hazard, Young, Attea (HYA), and McPherson & Jacobson — on June 17. Each firm described its outreach, stakeholder engagement and vetting strategies; the board scheduled deliberations for the following morning at 9 a.m.","taxTitle","Vancouver School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",65133,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6193889,"Vancouver interim superintendent warns district will seek to expand general-fund spending authority ahead of July hearing",688,83000,771000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3865161-240a58a60703366e056d0cb6f39eeb51&start=83&end=771","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3865161-240a58a60703366e056d0cb6f39eeb51/thumbnail_83000.jpg","/articles/6193889/Washington/Vancouver-interim-superintendent-warns-district-will-seek-to-expand-general-fund-spending-authority-ahead-of-July-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6193889-cd1d73aa8c55125be2ea087954d5baf7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775316179&Signature=WCFOMBEzNNV9Cf2VaACarBv8ZSDE5E6H~EW6EyahzdAbgl21wSp570RVRiK-TmFz-Qj9xk7yARTyWUexoo6v7q5Lhj1eqWEIP9rOZwBdl5R0mpTuqDYtoLSYsSxb6vQzRnaOPNLi4WPysATLlKJaZGEtAQTXEz3qMka1Unws~4-NbS2EMGia8XmZPwj1oM194N619NWQ6v0FHhobAuMqHeTohBeqyW6CDiXAKzCS74QrtpPBQh7y15wQ3zXMFQVShGgPzxLy26EuoHH3vCMKHk61Xav1daa9zjG14Egqv-WPiy4OtitmgVMasci4CFT9Dvvcmiu4ACXrXmi4L6WNgg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Interim Superintendent Brett Lech Schmidt told the Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors on June 17 that the district will recommend formally increasing its general-fund expenditure capacity at the board’s July meeting to cover higher-than-anticipated costs.

Schmidt said the board will hold a public hearing on the matter and is scheduled to adopt the required state document and resolution in July, after staff completes a line-by-line accounting of revenues and costs.

Schmidt framed the request as largely procedural but driven by several converging financial pressures. He said the district hired staff in the fall to meet stronger-than-budgeted September enrollment, noting “we did end up with about 137 more students in that basic ed core group.” That earlier hiring, he said, produced recurring salary costs the district had expected to cover with sustained enrollment but could not when enrollment did not hold through spring.

He said several factors pushed costs above budgeted levels: larger-than-projected special-education caseloads, increased investment in paraeducators and one-to-one aides, and bargaining-related load and class-size adjustments the district built into its budget as a cushion. “We had never gone into a year with, I think it was 150 less teaching positions,” Schmidt said, describing the difficulty of forecasting overload and class-size costs under unusual staffing patterns.

The superintendent warned that some special-education placements — including residential placements outside district programs — carry very high costs and that the state’s safety-net funding requires districts to cover a portion of incremental costs before the state reimburses. “Safety net doesn't kick in until we pay about $30,000 more than what the state funds for the base funding group,” he said, noting that the district had received some additional safety-net and basic-education funding but that the net effect left reserves thinner than desired.

Schmidt said staff are still reconciling invoices and contractor billing for recently contracted paraeducator positions and other services, which has complicated final year-end accounting. He previewed that the district will present a fuller accounting at the July meeting, including how additional revenues will offset added expenses and how the changes affected the year-end fund balance.

Board members did not take formal action on June 17; Schmidt characterized the presentation as a preview to allow directors to ask questions before the public hearing and formal action in July. He warned the board to expect a “very tight” fund balance by fiscal-year end and said district leaders may need to consider “stop-gap measures” in 2025–26 and “pretty significant reductions” when planning the 2026–27 budget.

Schmidt invited board members to submit detailed questions offline; the formal adoption of any increase in expenditure authority and the related state document will occur at the July board meeting after a public hearing.

The budget preview also included references to other routine upcoming consent items: staff will present a resolution delegating authority to surplus instructional materials and equipment at the July meeting, and policy updates (including changes to capital-asset thresholds) will be brought forward for second reading in July.

Less-critical details: Schmidt asked directors to anticipate additional materials and to direct any technical questions to staff ahead of the July public hearing.","Interim Superintendent Brett Lech Schmidt told the Vancouver School District board the district expects to spend more than its current budget appropriation this year because of enrollment and special-education costs, and previewed a public hearing and a resolution to increase expenditure capacity at the board’s July meeting.","actionData","errors"]

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Vancouver board interviews three superintendent-search firms; deliberation set for next morning

Vancouver interim superintendent warns district will seek to expand general-fund spending authority ahead of July hearing