Superintendent Brian Strues announced at the Sept. 22 Pleasant Valley Community School District board meeting that he will retire at the close of the school year, and the board voted to begin a formal superintendent search. The board approved issuing a request for proposals to executive-search firms, set a review timeline for proposals and candidate interviews and moved the October regular meeting from Oct. 27 to Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. to accommodate the process.

Strues read a letter to the board and public describing his decision and reflecting on his 30-year career with the district. "As I write this letter, I'm filled with gratitude and pride," Strues said, reading from his prepared remarks. He told the board he looks forward to finishing the year and starting a formal transition with the district's next leader.

Why it matters: selecting a new superintendent is the board's highest-level personnel decision and sets the district's leadership for years. Board members and staff discussed a multi-step timeline that would invite proposals from multiple search firms, allow the board to narrow respondents to a shortlist, bring finalists to the district for interviews and provide onboarding and transition support for the incoming superintendent.

At the meeting, staff reviewed a draft request for proposals that lists scope items such as stakeholder engagement, development of a candidate profile, active national outreach, candidate vetting and onboarding support. Board members asked staff to refine the RFP language to reflect the board's priorities and to circulate model candidate profiles used by other Iowa districts. A board packet presented a list of prospective search firms the district intends to solicit.

The board agreed on a compressed schedule: staff will post the RFP later this week, proposals will be due in early October, the board will review submissions at its Oct. 13 meeting and select a small number of firms to interview. The board set a special meeting to interview finalist firms at 5 p.m. Oct. 20. The successful firm will then begin the stakeholder-engagement and candidate-recruitment phases that typically include community surveys, stakeholder focus groups and a candidate profile for the public posting.

Board action: Director Molly Mueller moved to reschedule the district's October meeting to Oct. 20 at 5 p.m.; Director Kunkle seconded. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all members voting yes.

Staff and board members said the search firm will present a recommended public timeline and that the board will decide final dates for posting the position, screening candidates and conducting finalist interviews. Board members also discussed transition tasks, mentoring for a new superintendent and interim leadership contingencies during the search.

Looking ahead, the board asked staff to circulate the final RFP language for board comment before posting, and to deliver examples of candidate profiles and outreach plans used by other Iowa districts. The board will consider firm proposals and select a vendor in October so the formal external recruiting phase can begin in November.