Montgomery mayor says superintendent search lacked transparency, urges broader community engagement

Mayor Stephen L. Reed said the Montgomery school superintendent search lacked transparency and needed deeper community engagement.

"I just don't think the process has been as transparent as it should have been," Mayor Stephen L. Reed said during a podcast interview. He added that the district's finalists and the search process did not reflect sufficient collaboration with local government, business and community partners.

Reed said the live interviews of superintendent finalists improved public visibility and engaged younger residents, but that livestreaming should not substitute for broader outreach. "It did. Absolutely. I think it did. And I think you you saw some, good candidates. I just think that there were others that would have been as compelling as the the candidates that we had," he said.

On the search's overall fairness Reed said community members told him they believed the outcome was predetermined. "So many people felt like the school board already knew who they were going to pick, and who they were gonna choose, and it was predetermined. So some didn't apply," he said, noting that perception likely reduced applicant interest.

Reed linked the search process to broader questions about governance and recommended the community consider whether structural changes to the school board or the superintendent-hiring process are needed. "Maybe structural change as it relates to the school board. We've got to look at whether or not this is the process we want to settle on, or do we want to do something different," he said.

Reed urged partnership between the district and external stakeholders, saying a successful superintendent must be prepared to work with city and county governments, the business community and other partners on funding and programs. "Being a superintendent now is not just about how you handle things internally. It's also how you handle things externally," he said.

Reed said live, public interviews brought younger residents into the conversation: "It's good to see people in their early twenties saying, did you watch this? ... For them to be able to see that, I really say that was still a great, opportunity for that to be seen, for the community to be involved." He added that livestreaming should complement, not replace, in-person community engagement.

No formal action or change to the school board was announced during the interview.