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Beaverton School Board delays superintendent search RFP debate until August after split vote
Summary
Board leadership proposed starting an executive search solicitation for the district's next superintendent; board members debated starting work before new members are seated and ultimately tabled the motion until the next meeting by a 4-2 vote.
The Beaverton School Board on June 10 debated whether to authorize board leadership to solicit executive search services for the district's next superintendent and tabled the proposal until the next board meeting after dissent among members.
Board leadership described the request as permission to begin preparing and circulating a request for proposals (RFP) or similar solicitation so that firms could respond over the summer and new board leadership and newly elected members would have proposals available when they convene. The chair framed the step as early legwork, not a final decision on search structure or firm selection.
Board member Tammy Carpenter urged waiting for the new board members to be seated so they could participate in the full search process and said she would prefer a work session that includes incoming members and community input: "I would like to also have more board input on what criteria we would want from a search firm," she said. Tammy also said she wanted to include candidates and firms that actively recruit minority and women candidates.
New board member Alyssa, speaking from her recent onboarding experience, said the current motion simply authorizes information-gathering and expressed comfort with starting that work so materials would be ready when new members join: "By the time we get any of that information, all the folks will be onboarded. We'll be able to look at all of it, roll up our sleeves, and really get to work. But in order to roll up our sleeves, we have to do this first step," she said.
Several board members, including the chair and Justice Raji, said the process used in prior searches took many steps and that issuing an RFP sooner would give the board flexibility in a long hiring cycle. Board members also discussed alternatives to an RFP, including a simpler solicitation or direct engagement of firms that previously performed searches for other districts.
A motion "to authorize board leadership to work with staff to issue a solicitation for executive search services, review submissions, and forward finalists to be considered by the board" was moved and seconded. Board members then voted to table the motion to the next board meeting; the tabling motion passed 4-2. Directors asked staff to circulate sample RFPs (Salem and Eugene were mentioned) to inform discussion before the next meeting.
The debate centered on process and timing rather than candidate selection: members voting to delay cited the value of including incoming board members and shaping RFP language collaboratively; members favoring immediate action cited the long, multi-step timelines typical for superintendent searches and the desire not to lose time in an active hiring market. The board did not adopt any binding criteria for the search nor select a vendor at the June 10 meeting. The item will return at the next scheduled business meeting in August for further action.
