School board hires HYA to lead superintendent search; members agree to fund engagement and advertise $245,000 compensation

The Marion County School Board on Oct. 2 invited Hazard, Young and Atiyah (HYA) to begin a nationwide search for a successor superintendent, directing the firm to start the engagement phase of a four-stage process and signaling majority support to advertise a total compensation figure of roughly $245,000.

HYA Vice President Bill Adams told the board the search will proceed in four stages — “engagement, recruitment, selection, transition” — and emphasized that the first stage is primarily about listening to the community. Senior associate Stacy Adams said HYA plans surveys, focus groups and public forums and will publish a leadership profile and desired-characteristics document for the board to approve.

The board’s decision to begin with community engagement reflects concerns expressed during the session about screening and recruitment. Adams said HYA expects to present a leadership-profile report after engagement; only then will the board be asked to finalize the job profile and authorize broad recruitment. The firm recommended presenting an initial slate of candidates in mid-February and holding the first round of interviews in early March, with a conditional selection possible in late March; formal start dates would be negotiated later.

Board members spent the bulk of the meeting refining the engagement plan and the calendar. HYA proposed launching surveys and focus groups in early November, presenting the leadership profile at a board work session on Dec. 1, and opening recruitment in December so applications would be due late January. HYA advised the board it generally presents 6–12 candidates who most closely match the desired characteristics; the board then narrows that field to 5–7 for daylong first-round interviews.

Board members asked for specific outreach to civic, faith-based and political groups, nonprofit partners, retirees and students. Dr. James and others emphasized the importance of student voice; Stacy Adams said students could participate in focus groups or respond to the online survey if district protocols permit. Several board members pressed for protections to ensure survey anonymity; Adams said HYA administers the survey anonymously, does not collect IP addresses and reports only aggregated responses by stakeholder category.

The board also discussed compensation and candidate expenses. Adams recommended advertising a single “total compensation” figure to support national recruitment rather than a salary range. After discussion the board coalesced around advertising a total compensation figure of about $245,000 (board members voiced a range of views from lower and higher figures). Board counsel and staff noted board policy and Florida statute set reimbursement limits for candidate travel; Adams said candidate travel is typically reimbursed within IRS/Government Accountability Office guidelines unless the board sets a cap.

HYA outlined vetting and background checks that will be performed on finalists, including criminal and civil records checks, financial driving records, credential verification, media and social-media reviews, and a third‑party background investigation for a conditionally selected candidate. Board members stressed due diligence: one member said, “We do not want Marion County to become a national news story” about hiring problems, and counsel confirmed the district will receive investigative documents as required for personnel vetting.

The board did not take a formal vote at the Oct. 2 meeting. Instead members directed HYA to proceed with the engagement phase, asked staff to schedule a Dec. 1 work session to review the leadership profile and desired characteristics, and recorded majority support to advertise the compensation figure around $245,000 while reserving final contract and start-date decisions until after finalists are identified and background checks completed.

The board and HYA agreed to reconvene for additional calendar and job-description work: the district will update its job description after the leadership profile is finalized so candidates receive a final job description prior to application. HYA also offered to help shape interview questions, to deliver a consistent interview script for the first-round screening and to perform reference and background investigations for any conditionally selected candidate.

What’s next: HYA will schedule stakeholder interviews and community forums, launch the research-based survey in both English and Spanish, and return to the board with the leadership-profile report and recommended desired characteristics at the Dec. 1 work session. The board will then decide whether to post the position publicly and begin formal recruitment under the calendar the board approves.

Board members and HYA representatives said they intend to keep the search transparent and to protect applicant privacy in accordance with Florida’s Sunshine Law and state hiring rules.