Board hears superintendent search timeline as public commenters press for DEI and transparency; board casts MASB vote for Jack Temsey

Saline Area Schools trustees heard a detailed superintendent search timeline from consultant Jay Bennett on Feb. 11 and were urged during public comment to prioritize diversity, equity and restorative discipline in the hiring process.

Bennett, the search consultant retained by the district, told the board the search would run roughly 14 weeks from preparation through onboarding, with stakeholder input sessions, an online survey, two rounds of interviews and a second-round site/open-house option for finalists. Key dates Bennett cited included a March 11 board workshop to finalize candidate profile and selection criteria, a March 18 community summit (CTE presentation referenced), a posting-close date on April 8, candidate materials available to the board around April 18, a board selection workshop on April 22, first-round interviews around April 29–30, and second-round interviews and finalist visits in early May (May 7 was discussed). Bennett said the ISD will collect stakeholder input from staff, parents, students, alumni and community groups and that all substantive search work would be done in open session except limited closed-session discussions about internal candidates or behavioral testing results.

During public comment, parent Sabrina Patillo told the board that her son was racially targeted in September and said she had seen “no accountability, no transparency, no communication” from the district. She added: “Your silence is loud and clear,” and urged the board to choose leadership that will protect vulnerable students and follow transparent procedures. An earlier public commenter urged the board to prioritize candidates who will commit to restorative practices and mandatory training.

At the meeting the board also moved forward on several procedural items and a regional association election. After discussion among trustees, Darcy Berwick moved to nominate Jack Temsey for the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) Region 7 board of directors. The motion was seconded; the board voted in favor 6–1 and decided to cast the district’s regional vote for Temsey. That action ended a separate proposal earlier in the meeting to put forward incumbent Guillermo Lopez.

On routine business the board approved the printed agenda and later approved the consent agenda by voice vote. Treasurer Brad Gerby told trustees the finance committee plans to present a budget amendment at the Feb. 25 board meeting; Bennett said the search process will also ask the board to set a posting salary range before the job is advertised (trustees indicated a likely range of about $175,000–$195,000 while noting the final posting will include a range). The board voted to enter a closed session at 9:55 p.m. for an attorney–client communication under Section 8(h) of the Michigan Open Meetings Act; the motion carried on a roll-call vote. Meeting minutes show the board adjourned at 11:05 p.m.

Bennett encouraged trustees to avoid independent candidate research that could bias the process and asked them to rely on application materials and his vetting; he said background checks and social-media scans would be completed for finalists and that any findings that “pop” in those checks would be flagged to the board.