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HYA tops Seattle School District scoring in superintendent search firm evaluation
Summary
At a special April meeting, the Seattle School District No. 1 board reviewed interview scores for three executive search firms and identified HYA as the apparent successful vendor; formal contract authorization will be taken up during the regular board meeting.
The Seattle School District No. 1 Board of Directors on a special meeting in April reviewed interview scores for executive search firms vying to assist in the district's superintendent search and identified HYA as the top-scoring firm. President Taub opened the meeting at 3:03 p.m. and said the board would follow state conflict-of-interest and ethics rules and the RFP criteria while documenting any score changes.
Staff reported that HYA received the highest combined interview score (72.14), followed by McPherson Jacobson (70.29) and Ray and Associates (63.57). Procurement staff (Ally, contracting staff) later confirmed that when price and full proposals were included HYA remained the apparent successful vendor with 155.417 total points, McPherson Jacobson had 154.601, and Ray and Associates had 146.
The board's discussion emphasized several themes that shaped directors' scores. Director Mizrahi said he valued a firm’s local knowledge and a two-year guarantee framework, calling out McPherson Jacobson’s local emphasis. Director Sarju said HYA stood out because it explicitly discussed students during its presentation: "HYA was the only entity that actually talked about kids and how important it is to remember that this job is actually about kids." Director Rankin focused on the district's off-cycle hiring timeline and the need for active recruitment, saying Ray and Associates "were pretty frank about that context." Several directors noted that all three firms were experienced and competitive but had slightly different strengths in community engagement, timeline clarity and local familiarity.
Directors also flagged areas they said needed to be clarified in subsequent contracting: how community engagement will influence candidate profiling, how cost control and contract deliverables will be enforced, and whether firms’ stated timelines align with district needs. Director Clark said some interview presentations lacked detail on cost control and experience working with districts facing budget deficits and declining enrollment; she said those issues should be included in contract deliverables. President Taub reiterated the requirement to document reasons for any score changes before staff retabulates final scores.
No formal contract was approved at the special meeting. After a brief opportunity for directors to revise individual scores, staff reported no changes that altered the ranking; HYA remained the top-scoring firm. Procurement staff confirmed HYA as the apparent successful vendor and noted the board will consider authorizing a contract with HYA during the district's regular board meeting that followed at 4 p.m.
The board’s next steps, as described during the meeting, are to finalize any written justifications for score changes, have staff retabulate final scores for the record, and consider a contract authorization with the selected firm during the regular meeting.
