Manitowoc board hires WASB for superintendent search, approves consulting and funding actions

The Manitowoc School District board voted unanimously to hire the Wisconsin Association of School Boards to conduct a comprehensive superintendent search at a cost not to exceed $13,500 and took several other contract and funding actions at a special meeting that also addressed facilities consulting, open enrollment for students with disabilities and federal Title I carryover.

Board members approved the WASB contract after a presentation by consultant Hannah Jikman, who described WASB’s planning meeting, community engagement options, candidate portal access and a recommended three- to five-month timeline. Jikman said the firm uses the Revelus application portal and that boards see every applicant rather than receiving a filtered short list. She also said WASB offers a two‑year placement guarantee if the board uses its transition services.

Why it matters: Hiring an outside search firm sets the timetable and method for finding the district’s next superintendent; the planning meeting will determine interview dates and how newly elected board members participate. The board also approved a district representative contract that affects how the district may plan a future referendum or capital work.

The board approved the WASB contract on a voice vote after a motion to contract the service; the motion passed with members signaling “aye.” Board members set an initial planning meeting to begin the process and noted that the planning discussion about candidate selection and interviews will take place in closed session because it concerns personnel matters. The consultant recommended posting the vacancy for about a month, and said finalist interviews could take place after the April election so newly elected members could be invited to executive session for finalists’ interviews (they would not vote until seated).

Also approved: Cadence Consulting as the district’s representative on facilities and potential referendum planning. Committee members reported that Cadence proposed an a la carte hourly model estimated at about 30 hours per month at $175 per hour (roughly $5,200 per month) for the intense phases of planning and outreach. The board compared that to other vendor models that charge a percentage of project funding; a committee handout used a $25 million project to show the difference (5 percent of $25 million equals $1.25 million) and recommended Cadence as the district representative. The motion to contract Cadence passed on a voice vote.

Special-education open enrollment: District staff presented the annual review required by state statute of space for nonresident students with individualized education programs. After reviewing roughly 870 IEPs and using a workload matrix, staff recommended that most special-education programs be closed to open-enrollment applicants for 2025–26 except for three seats at the high school in the minimal/moderate support category. Staff noted transience in the caseload: over the past month the district recorded 22 students with disabilities moving into the district and five leaving. The board accepted the report.

Funding and carryover: The board approved a waiver to carry over unspent Title I funds to avoid losing those dollars. District staff said failing to approve the waiver would forfeit about $115,867 in unspent Title I funds; the board approved the carryover request so those funds can be spent under the federal program requirements.

Administrative contracts: The board moved to extend a set of administrative contracts. One board member said publicly they would not support two‑year extensions until academic performance and behavior improved; the motion to renew the listed administrative contracts was approved by the board, with recorded dissent indicated during the voice vote.

Votes at a glance - Superintendent search contract: Motion to hire Wisconsin Association of School Boards to conduct a comprehensive search, not to exceed $13,500. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Cadence Consulting: Motion to retain Cadence Consulting as district representative for facilities/referendum support (hourly/a la carte model). Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Open enrollment for students with disabilities (2025–26): Acceptance of staff report and designation of available seats (high school, minimal/moderate): 3 seats. Outcome: accepted (voice vote). - Title I carryover waiver: Motion to approve carryover of unspent Title I funds to avoid forfeiture (amount cited by staff ~ $115,867). Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Administrative contract renewals: Motion to extend listed administrative contracts (two‑year terms discussed). Outcome: approved (voice vote); at least one board member objected to two‑year length.

Board scheduling and next steps: The search vendor and board staff discussed scheduling a planning meeting to begin the search process; the board set an initial planning meeting date (Feb. 4) and discussed start times so it would not conflict with other committee meetings. Staff were asked to supply the current superintendent job description and to finalize logistics for community engagement and the Revelus portal posting.

Quotes "Your search should be responsive to your aspirations," consultant Hannah Jikman said, outlining options for surveys, focus groups and interview rounds.

Ending The board moved quickly through the special meeting’s items, finishing with calendar items and a motion to adjourn. The superintendent-search planning meeting and several committee meetings were scheduled in the coming weeks to complete next steps on the search and on facilities planning.