Parma City board narrows profile, timeline for superintendent search; adopts minutes and moves to executive session

The Parma City School Board on March 17 authorized a search plan for a new superintendent, setting advertising channels, candidate profile priorities, focus-group outreach and a timeline that targets semifinalist recommendations in late April and finalist rounds in May. The board also approved the written record of its March 12 special meeting and later moved into an executive session to discuss personnel matters.

Consultants from the Finding Leaders group outlined a national recruitment approach that will use K-12 job boards and standard state-level outlets (Frontline/Aplitrack and state associations such as BASA and OSBA) and said additional paid advertising (for example, national journals) would be optional and incur extra cost. The consultants asked the board to clarify the superintendent profile — how much the board wants the role to emphasize day-to-day operations versus visionary leadership — and the board signaled a preference clustered around a 60/40 split favoring daily operations over vision, with members saying the district’s size and operational needs argue for strong management experience.

The consultants described planned outreach: in-person focus groups with administrators, teachers, classified staff, parents, students and community members plus an online survey for stakeholders who cannot attend. They recommended separate sessions for bargaining-unit leaders and suggested conducting high-school student groups on-site. The board agreed the search should include central-office experience as a preferred qualification (assistant superintendent/central-office leadership) and that superintendent experience would be helpful but not required if a candidate had extensive relevant administrative experience. The board indicated a PhD would be an advantage but would not be disqualifying.

On residency and relocation, members said living in the district would be desirable but not mandatory; the board discussed offering limited moving assistance if a finalist relocates, with consultants suggesting a typical cap of roughly $3,000–$5,000. The board also signaled willingness to consider retired superintendents if they demonstrate sufficient remaining tenure (consultants advised aiming for candidates willing to serve about seven to ten years).

Consultants recommended routine background checks for all finalists and noted the board could add deeper assessments (personality or Harrison-style inventories) for finalists if it chose. They also said initial interviews typically can be held virtually and that the district could pay travel expenses for finalists as needed.

On district context and near-term issues, board members cited a challenging levy history (current operating mills mentioned in discussion: 6.969) and fluctuating enrollment; consultants said Parma City’s recent receipt of students from Ukraine is a current enrollment factor. Members described the district’s program strengths — career-technical programs, STEM, ACES and other specialized offerings — and noted the central office provides substantial operational support. The board confirmed three seats will be up for election in November (named in discussion as Steve, Mark and Linda) and that the district has two high schools, three middle schools, six elementary schools and preschool/central-office programs at Parma Park.

On timing, the board accepted a schedule proposed by the consultants: post the vacancy and begin outreach immediately, set an application closing date around April 23, present semifinalists the week of April 28, hold initial interviews the week of May 5 and host finalist stakeholder events the week of May 12, with an aim to complete selection and negotiate a contract in May to allow a summer transition. Consultants cautioned the board that if the applicant pool is unsatisfactory they could extend the posting or pursue interim leadership, but board members indicated they would prefer to proceed without an immediate interim unless needed.

Procedural actions recorded during the meeting: the board adopted Resolution 2025-03-125 to approve the written record of proceedings from the March 12, 2025 special board meeting. Later the board approved a motion (Resolution 2025-03-126) to move into executive session to discuss personnel matters related to appointment/employment and compensation; the session began at about 6:57 p.m. The executive session is closed to the public under Ohio law; any formal vote on personnel matters must occur in open session, the consultants reminded the board.

The consultants said they will finalize the posting materials and handle initial recruitment steps, then return with recommended semifinalists after the application window closes. The board designated district contact for logistics as Sean (district staff) and asked consultants to coordinate with Sean and with Charlie for scheduling focus groups and stakeholder events. The search team will also provide a candidate brochure and will run both in-person and online engagement tools to gather themes that will shape the superintendent profile.

The board did not take any hiring action in open session at this meeting; the meeting’s substantive work focused on search strategy, stakeholder engagement and the timetable for selecting a new superintendent.