Conway School Board approves superintendent search plan, sets $275,000–$300,000 compensation range

The Conway School District Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to hire a search consultant, approve a superintendent position description with a recommended salary range, and authorize a search-advisory committee and timeline to recruit a new superintendent.

Board President Franklin asked for formal motions near the start of the special meeting to retain Jeff Standridge as the district's search consultant and to approve the job description and recruitment plan. The board then voted to: retain Standridge as the search consultant; adopt the proposed position description and a $275,000 to $300,000 total compensation range; approve the search committee structure with two amendments (allowing all board members to participate in committee selection and adding an at-large committee seat); and adopt the recruitment timeline and process with a revised date for finalizing the search advisory committee.

The board's action follows a presentation by Standridge outlining required procedures and proposed guardrails for a public-school superintendent search. Standridge said the board retains sole hiring authority and recommended posting a clear position description, a recruitment plan and a committee charter so the district could begin recruiting quickly. "Excellence in the classroom begins with excellence in the boardroom," Standridge told the board and recommended a competitive total compensation range to attract candidates from similar Arkansas districts.

Standridge described the proposed recruiter duties and timeline: gather board and community input, post the position, accept nominations for an advisory committee, use rubric-based screening by that advisory group, hold virtual semifinalist interviews, and conduct in-person finalist visits and interviews in December and January with a contract to be approved at the January board meeting. He recommended the district post the job as soon as the board finished the position description and salary range.

On compensation, Standridge said a market-competitive package would widen the candidate pool and suggested a $275,000 to $300,000 total cash compensation range. "If I were looking to hire an executive into my organization, if we're not above the median, I think we're limiting ourselves from a candidate pool," he said.

Board members discussed practical details, including whether committee members must be Conway residents or could represent Conway organizations while living elsewhere; the board agreed that parents on the committee must be parents of Conway students, while business and nonprofit representatives could be affiliated by work even if they lived outside the district. The board also changed the timeline so the board would approve the actual slate of advisory committee members at the October meeting rather than the September meeting to allow more time for nominations and outreach.

Actions at the meeting were recorded by voice vote; the board used unanimous "aye" voice votes for the motions recorded in open session.