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Stewartville board approves superintendent search process, will seek vendor presentations
Summary
The board approved a plan to hire a consultant to run the superintendent search process, discussed potential vendors and tentative dates for vendor presentations, and approved moving forward with outreach to firms; vote was 6-0.
The Stewartville Public School District Board of Education approved beginning a superintendent search process that includes inviting consultant firms to present their services, the board decided by unanimous vote.
Board members discussed whether to hold vendor presentations during a regular meeting or at special meetings and asked staff to solicit availability from multiple firms. A district staff member said the search process is complex and that a consultant helps ensure statutory rules are followed and collects community input. “The process when we did the building ... gave us an opportunity to see what everybody does and how they go about it and to see what fits our needs,” the staff member said. Another staff speaker stressed statutory timelines and possible broadcast/public meeting requirements for interviews.
Board member Mr. Lowman moved to approve the superintendent search timeline process as described; Mr. Geist seconded. The motion passed on a 6-0 vote.
During discussion the board considered several vendor options and search approaches mentioned by staff, including School Exec Connect, MSBA (Minnesota School Boards Association), and larger national firms such as BWP and Hazard Young. Staff cautioned that national firms may price themselves out and suggested the district can tailor search packages to control costs (for example, substituting in-person forums for paid digital surveys). One board member asked about cost; a staff speaker estimated a mid-range search cost of about $15,000.
The board discussed tentative presentation dates and formats. Members floated holding vendor presentations as part of a regular meeting or during a special meeting; possible dates mentioned in discussion included the “25th” (spoken as “20 fifth”), the “28th” (spoken as “20 eighth”) and the “8th,” and members asked staff to collect two or three date options and then confirm availability with firms. Staff said once dates are set, the vendors would coordinate directly with the board for presentations.
Board members emphasized the importance of beginning the process soon to attract a strong candidate pool and noted that starting later can reduce the available candidate pool because competitive candidates take positions earlier in the hiring cycle. Staff recommended aiming to have the process start in the November–December window to hit a favorable hiring timeline.
The board directed staff to solicit proposals and availability from selected vendors and to return with confirmed presentation dates. No final vendor selection or contract award occurred at the meeting.
