Northshore board launches superintendent search with Ray and Associates; sets timeline, survey and advertising plan

The Northshore School District Board met in a special virtual session with Ray and Associates on a superintendent search kickoff call to set a timeline, launch a stakeholder survey and plan outreach, promotion and interview logistics.

The board agreed to open a 31-question online stakeholder survey on the district website, offer focus groups for staff, families, students and community partners in late March, finalize a superintendent profile in mid‑April and begin candidate vetting in late April with semifinalist interviews in early May and finalist visits in mid‑May, Ray and Associates said.

Ray and Associates lead consultant Steve Chestnut laid out a five‑stage timeline and told the board, "the main thing we wanna do today is establish a timeline." Chestnut said the firm will conduct confidential 10–15 minute one‑on‑one interviews with each board member in the coming week to help build the candidate profile and will provide weekly brief check‑ins with the board president.

Why it matters: the board will use survey and focus‑group feedback to create a superintendent profile that will be published in promotional materials for prospective candidates, a step Ray and Associates and district staff said is important to attract applicants who fit the district’s priorities.

What the board and consultants decided and discussed

Survey and outreach: The board approved launching the 31‑question survey on the district superintendent search web page. District staff said the survey will go live at 8 a.m. the next day and remain open for two weeks until the 31st; translations into Spanish, Portuguese and Russian will be…