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 available and communications staff will push the survey to families, students, staff and community partners. Carrie Campbell, the district’s executive director of family and engagement services, confirmed a communications plan including emails to families, social media and outreach to community partners.

Focus groups and stakeholder meetings: Ray and Associates and district staff proposed holding stakeholder meetings the week of the public input dates they discussed (tentatively the 5th and 6th of the month), with a mix of in‑person and virtual sessions grouped by constituencies (students, families, faith partners, community partners, classified and certificated staff, building leaders and other groups). The consultants emphasized facilitation practices to avoid dominance by individual participants and said they will summarize and anonymize input for the board.

Promotional materials and application: The board reviewed examples of recruitment brochures and slides and asked staff to draft a promotional flyer for a target delivery of March 18 (the board clarified the flyer would not be due the next day). Board members asked that the flyer be concise (two pages suggested) with links to the district strategic plan and other supporting documents. The district’s HR team will host the online application and provided a sample application form; Ray and Associates said finalists will also receive a more detailed background and third‑party checks.

Advertising and recruitment: The board discussed free and paid posting options. Ray and Associates recommended posting through state superintendent organizations WASDA and WASA and included Education Week as part of the base services. The board agreed to pay for a basic national AASA job posting ($409) plus targeted postings with the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) to broaden outreach to applicants of color.

Interview rounds and finalists: The consultants described a two‑stage interview process: a virtual first round (typically 5–7 semifinalists) and an in‑person finalist round (generally 2–3 finalists) with stakeholder rotations, school visits, a board interview and a community forum. Board members voiced a preference for board members to be physically together during interviews even when candidates interview virtually in the first round. Ray and Associates said they will present roughly 10 top candidates for the board to consider at the April 30 meeting, from which the board will select who to interview in the first (virtual) round.

Travel and reimbursement: The board discussed travel expenses for in‑person semifinalist and finalist rounds and noted prior searches had incurred roughly $8,000–$9,000 in travel costs. Board members supported inviting significant others to the finalist visits; the firm and district staff will provide a reimbursement and per‑diem policy for the board to approve.

Salary and certification: Ray and Associates presented base salary ranges of peer districts and asked the board to prioritize settling on a salary range for inclusion in promotional materials. Board members affirmed a preference for candidates to hold or be able to obtain Washington superintendent certification and said they prefer candidates with prior superintendent experience; doctoral degrees and bilingual skills were described as desirable but not required.

Facilitation and accessibility: Ray and Associates said they will facilitate focus groups, take notes, summarize input and use restorative practices when needed. The board asked that in‑person and virtual options be provided and that families be allowed to submit typed feedback during sessions; the consultants confirmed the survey provides an alternative for people unable to attend.

Next steps: Ray and Associates will send a one‑page timeline reflecting the decisions from the meeting, begin confidential one‑on‑one board interviews, activate the survey and continue work on promotional materials and advertising. The board reserved dates in May for semifinalist and finalist activities but will confirm exact dates after staff checks room and calendar availability.

Quotes

"We have a lot to cover today, and, we're gonna really launch this search," Ray and Associates lead consultant Steve Chestnut said, outlining the five stages of the search.

"We will summarize those meetings. Obviously, we don't code individuals. We just give you a snapshot of the feedback that we get," Chestnut said about how the firm will report stakeholder input.

Ending

District staff and Ray and Associates said materials, schedules and a one‑page timeline will be circulated after the meeting. The board set outreach steps and preliminary dates and directed staff to finalize logistics, survey links and promotional content in the coming days so recruitment can begin promptly.