The Rockford Public Schools Board of Education reviewed a multi-part plan on Aug. 5 for its search for a new superintendent and authorized the search firm and district staff to begin posting the vacancy and organizing candidate outreach and screening. The board’s governance committee and consultants from BWP & Associates described a three-source leadership profile built from individual board interviews, a districtwide community survey and focus-group engagement, and asked board members to provide available interview windows for Aug. 11–16.

Why it matters: The board’s decisions will shape recruitment reach, candidate diversity and the timeline for selecting finalists. The search structure — interviews, a public survey, community focus groups and a candidate screening rubric — will determine which applicants are advanced to finalist rounds and how the community can weigh in.

BWP partner Dr. Joseph Porto told the board that the search will rely on three sources to build the leadership profile: individual board interviews, a survey of stakeholders and a community engagement day. “One of the first things we want to do, and it’ll be within the time frame of August 11 to the 16th, have your individual interviews with us,” Porto said. He asked board members to provide four half-hour availability windows so consultants can schedule interviews during that period.

Porto said BWP planned to post the vacancy locally right away and recommended a national advertising package if the board wants a broader candidate pool. He outlined optional paid postings: AASA (American Association of School Administrators) job bank (~$650 for 60 days), the National Alliance of Black School Educators (~$500) and the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (~$400), totaling roughly $1,600. Porto and partner Steve Griesbach said their own BWP website and LinkedIn reach hundreds of candidates and that IASB/IASA membership postings can reach Illinois candidates at no additional cost.

Board members discussed the trade-offs between cost and reach. Several trustees said they supported an expansive national search to ensure a diverse candidate slate. “So, as president, Carpenter said, we hired you, to do the search. And so we want to make sure that we give candidates opportunity whether they're sitting superintendent or otherwise,” one board member said, endorsing the consultants’ broader outreach.

BWP proposed a recruitment and selection timeline: post the vacancy immediately (posting to begin within days), open applications through Nov. 1, launch the stakeholder survey Sept. 22–Oct. 2, hold district focus groups (Sept. 30 and possibly Oct. 1), present a draft leadership profile to the board on Oct. 7, and begin presenting a slate of screened candidates around mid-November. BWP said it typically narrows applicants to a slate of 4–7 finalists, then schedules finalist interviews and community input opportunities before the board selects a hire.

Community engagement and equity: BWP emphasized that the survey will be available at least in English and Spanish and suggested targeted outreach for smaller linguistic groups. “If you can remove those barriers, it creates a more equitable environment for those linguistic small pockets within your community to participate,” Griesbach said.

Cost and logistics: Board members asked for clarity about guaranteed advertising already included with district associations and for the consultants to finalize the vacancy posting language; BWP said staff would revise the draft posting to include additional district programs and partnerships that trustees requested. Trustees also discussed timing for finalist interviews and noted conflicts with the Illinois Association of School Boards conference in late November; the board and consultants agreed to try to schedule finalist rounds during evening hours that would maximize trustee participation.

Next steps: Board members agreed to send availability for individual interviews, to review and return edits to the proposed vacancy notice (BWP will incorporate requested program highlights), and to work with district communications and scheduling staff to set community focus groups. BWP confirmed an application deadline of Nov. 1 and said it would begin screening after that date.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the governance/consultant presentation and subsequent discussion at the Aug. 5 committee meeting. The board did not take a formal vote on advertising expenses or final interview dates at this meeting; decisions were made by direction and agreement during the discussion and will be finalized in follow-up communications.