The Duarte Unified School District Board of Education voted 4-0 to hire McPherson & Jacobson as the district's executive search firm to lead the search for a new superintendent, following presentations from five finalist firms and a board discussion.

The selection concluded an interview session during which each firm gave a roughly 30-minute overview of its recruitment, community-engagement and finalist-selection processes. Board President James Finley moved to select McPherson & Jacobson; Board Member Olguin seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously by the four trustees present (Finley, Olguin, Hasso and Reyes).

Why it matters: The search firm will design community input sessions, recruit and screen candidates, coordinate interviews, conduct final-reference and background checks, and provide onboarding and post-hire support. Board members said they wanted a firm that would deliver a broad but well-vetted candidate pool quickly and at reasonable cost.

What the board heard: McPherson & Jacobson consultant Ben Johnson emphasized candidate fit and the firm's outreach network, telling trustees the goal was "what's best for students and for your community." Johnson also said McPherson & Jacobson guards confidentiality for applicants so their current employers "are not gonna find that out" if they apply.

Leadership Associates (David Verdugo and Rich Tom) highlighted statewide networks and candidate diversity, with Verdugo telling the board, "This is your search. It's not ours," and stressing the firm's experience placing candidates across California and nationally.

Educational Support Services (ESS) representatives emphasized a high-touch, concierge approach and reported a 94% retention rate for placed superintendents since 2019. ESS pledged layered outreach and deep vetting, including soft third-party social-media reviews and in-depth reference checking.

Educational Leadership Services (ELS) and the Kostka Group also presented detailed processes for stakeholder engagement, advertising and finalist-day planning. Firms described similar phased workflows: (1) board and community input to produce a leadership profile; (2) recruitment and targeted outreach; (3) screening, references and shortlist formation; and (4) interviews, finalist validation and post-hire mentoring.

Timeline, costs and guarantees mentioned in the presentations: Firms generally described a target of about three months from launch to finalist selection, with possible extension to four months depending on stakeholder meeting requests and contract negotiations. Several firms offered a two-year placement guarantee (repeat search at no additional fee if a superintendent leaves within that period). McPherson & Jacobson's written proposal referenced a not-to-exceed fee; firms said advertising on EdJoin is typically listed for 60 days but that boards can shorten that window if desired.

Board discussion and choice: Trustees cited cost and the firm's outreach approach as key factors. Several trustees said they valued McPherson & Jacobson's plan to provide short candidate video interviews as a preliminary screening tool and noted that Ben Johnson's experience as a current board member offered a governance perspective they found useful. Trustees also discussed whether the EdJoin posting period should be shortened from 60 days; members agreed the board could request a shorter active posting window.

Next steps: McPherson & Jacobson will begin work with the board to finalize the leadership profile, schedule stakeholder input sessions (including bilingual outreach where needed), post the vacancy and begin recruitment. The board discussed aiming for a finalist announcement in October and a possible start date for a new superintendent around December, subject to the candidate's availability and contract negotiations.

Votes at a glance: The Board approved the contract award to McPherson & Jacobson by a 4-0 vote (Finley, Olguin, Hasso, Reyes). Motion: "Select McPherson & Jacobson group for the superintendent search." Mover: James Finley. Second: Board Member Olguin. Outcome: approved.