Mountain View Whisman board selects Leadership Associates to run superintendent search, schedules Jan. 30 kickoff

The Mountain View Whisman School District board indicated unanimous support on Jan. 23 for Leadership Associates to lead the district—s superintendent search after hearing presentations from three firms.

Leadership Associates, McPherson & Jacobson and Educational Leadership Service each gave 15–30 minute presentations and answered trustees— questions. After a round of reference checks and trustee discussion, the board said it preferred Leadership Associates and directed staff to move forward with scheduling the search kickoff.

Trustee Devin Conley summarized reference-check outreach and trustees discussed a variety of factors that informed their preference: local Bay Area experience, outreach capacity, and a proposed schedule that would let the district move quickly to attract candidates while circulating a position profile to the community.

Leadership Associates partners Jackie Horace and David Verdugo emphasized their firm—s California track record, local Bay Area experience and a full-service approach that includes stakeholder outreach, extensive reference checks, a searchable candidate portal, and a 90-day entry plan for any hired superintendent. Leadership Associates also noted it assigns an executive-level support specialist to manage logistics and Brown Act compliance for the district during the search.

The board directed the selected firm to prepare materials and a proposed timeline for a public kickoff. Trustees agreed to hold a special meeting on Jan. 30; the board will use that session to confirm stakeholders for input, finalize the search timeline, review the draft position description, and confirm closed-session dates to review candidate materials. The board asked the firm to provide proposed stakeholder-session dates and draft materials in advance so the Jan. 30 discussion can be primarily logistical and high-level.

Several trustees said they favored an aggressive timeline to bring the district an experienced candidate as soon as feasible, but they also emphasized public engagement and transparency. Trustee comments recorded during the meeting asked the firm to prioritize outreach in multiple languages and to provide both in-person and virtual input opportunities for parents, staff, students and local partner agencies.

Leadership Associates— all-inclusive fee was higher than some competing bids but trustees cited local experience and their support capacity as reasons it was acceptable. Trustees also asked firms about conflict-of-interest safeguards, how the search would handle internal candidates, and whether out-of-state applicants would be screened differently. Presenters said they would vet all applicants against the board—s criteria and handle confidentiality for sitting candidates.

Ending

The board will revisit the contract and timeline at its Jan. 30 meeting and intends to place the search contract for approval on a forthcoming agenda. Leadership Associates will begin stakeholder outreach and provide draft materials ahead of the kickoff meeting.