Craven County Board hires McPherson & Jacobson to run superintendent search; stakeholder meetings set for Sept. 25

Craven County school board members on a special-called meeting heard a presentation from national search firm McPherson & Jacobson and agreed on a timeline and stakeholder process for hiring the district27s next superintendent, including an in-person stakeholder day on Sept. 25 and an online K‑12 Insights survey to run Sept. 26–Oct. 2.

The board identified Jennifer Wagner, the district27s public information officer, as the point of contact for the search and directed consultants to post the vacancy as soon as the board approves the final position description; consultants said they would target a Sept. 4 posting. The consultants described a five-phase search that typically runs 8 to 12 weeks from first board meeting to finalist selection.

McPherson & Jacobson lead consultant Barry Carroll said the firm27s role is to recruit and vet candidates and present a vetted slate to the board. "We don27t hire superintendents," Carroll said. "We bring strong candidates before you and help you in the process of determining who is the best candidate for your district." Dr. Deborah White, the search team lead alongside Carroll, emphasized transparency in vetting. "We ask the applicants and their references if there27s anything in their background that might be problematic for you as a board and for the school system," White said.

The consultants outlined steps they will take: stakeholder interviews and an online survey; advertising on national venues the firm routinely uses; active national recruitment; resume and reference verification; criminal, financial and degree checks for finalists; and preparatory work for finalist interviews. Shortlisted candidates typically will submit a video introduction responding to three prompts (roughly three minutes per prompt) and then be presented to the board for selection of finalists for in-person interviews.

Consultants said the standard contract includes one day of in-person stakeholder meetings and that adding days would increase cost. They described the stakeholder meetings as a rotation of 45‑minute sessions (about four to six groups across a single day) intended to capture the views of teachers, principals, district staff, classified staff, students, parents and community groups; board members discussed ensuring geographic coverage for Havelock, New Bern and West Craven. The firm will also provide a written summary of stakeholder input and highlight common themes for the board.

Legal counsel advised the board that North Carolina27s personnel confidentiality rules require a closed search process for applicants, meaning applicant lists and application materials generally are not released during recruitment. The board attorney explained that state personnel confidentiality statutes prohibit public disclosure of applicant files once gathered by the board, and the consultants said they would treat applications as confidential unless the board instructs otherwise.

The board and consultants also discussed salary and credential expectations. Consultants suggested using the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction pay scale as a reference for compensation and asked the board to finalize a salary range; board members agreed to continue that discussion offline and directed staff to provide pay-scale information for board review. Board members emphasized fiscal management, accountability and strong communication as top candidate priorities.

Other procedural details the consultants described: K‑12 Insights will host the online survey; the firm will advertise through national outlets it normally uses (the consultants cited AASA, EdWeek/TopSchoolJobs and NABSE as standard venues); the application close date was tentatively set for Oct. 15 with consultants beginning vetting on Oct. 16; criminal, financial and credential verification for finalists will proceed as candidates are named; and the consultants offer a two-year placement guarantee that covers replacement at no additional fee (except expenses) only if the board follows the firm27s contracted process and interviews only candidates recommended by the consultants.

At the meeting27s close the board formally adjourned. A motion to adjourn was made by board member Mason and seconded by board member Kirkman; the board approved the motion 7–0.

The board expects a return visit from consultants for stakeholder meetings on Sept. 25 (moved from an earlier tentative Sept. 18) and to receive the advertising copy, draft position description and the consultant27s stakeholder report in advance of an Oct. 14 board work session where the board will review stakeholder input.