Board receives draft leadership profile after HYA community engagement for superintendent search

The Seattle School District No. 1 Board of Directors on Wednesday heard a draft leadership profile from HYA, the district's superintendent search firm, after engagement that included in-person and virtual sessions, 29 focus groups, a districtwide survey and language-access supports.

The profile, presented by HYA consultant Makai Ali, condenses input from 3,526 survey respondents and multiple focus groups and identifies top community priorities for the next superintendent, including preparing students for the next grade and college or career readiness, hiring and retaining teachers and administrators, and ensuring safe learning environments.

HYA told the board the community engagement included in-person and virtual sessions, single-language sessions, a public survey and phone and email comments, and that interpretation was provided in American Sign Language and the district's top five spoken languages. "We had 3,526 respondents for nearly 52,000 students," Ali said. HYA reported 29 focus-group sessions and said the engagement was tailored mid-process to reach underrepresented voices.

Why it matters: The leadership profile will serve as the rubric for screening and ranking applicants and will guide interview protocols. Board members and community members said the profile maps to longstanding district concerns—academic achievement gaps, fiscal stability and supports for special populations—and that the board must follow through after hiring.

Key findings and community priorities

HYA said survey respondents named preparing students for the next grade and college- and career-readiness as the single top focus (62 percent of respondents). Other priorities the profile lists include hiring and retaining quality teachers and administrators (62 percent for that category as reported in the presentation), providing safe environments (55 percent), ensuring a well-rounded student experience (35 percent) and addressing students' social and emotional needs (33 percent).

The profile also lists desired superintendent characteristics the engagement surfaced: equity-driven and student-focused; financial and operational expertise; strong communication, relational skills and authenticity; a visionary change-maker; and demonstrable experience and accountability. "There was indeed a push in many of the groups for someone who has seated experience," Ali said.

Board reaction and community equity concerns

Board members praised the depth of engagement and emphasized the findings on equity and students with special needs. Director Lorena Rankin said the profile aligned with what she hears in the community and urged the board to support whatever superintendent the district hires: "We need to help that person. We need to support that person, and we need to be really clear what we expect of that person and then follow through on what we say we're going to," Rankin said.

Director Michelle Sarju and others highlighted specific concerns raised in the engagement process, including stronger supports and dedicated resources for DHH (deaf and hard-of-hearing) students and for Black and brown boys who have shown chronically lower achievement. Ali said some focus groups explicitly requested "appropriations"—that is, dedicated funding and resources—to address specific needs. "If children within a particular percentile are failing, then we appropriate resources. That's equity," he said.

On the question of whether the community favored an outside candidate, Ali said "there's been a tremendous push for an outsider" but framed it as a desire for someone who can bring new ideas and the proven experience to implement them.

Next steps and process safeguards

HYA outlined the timeline and process steps the board should expect: finalize the leadership profile after board edits; distribute interview protocols to directors; review applications and a blind slate of candidates; conduct final interviews; and hold a special meeting in October to vote on a candidate, with a tentative start date for the superintendent around Nov. 1. Ali stressed a blind-review process: "No one in SPS will be a part of the review process," and he said identifying characteristics will be removed when the slate is presented to the board.

Board members will receive documents and calendar invites for interview and review sessions; staff said the detailed draft of the profile has been posted publicly and that HYA and the district will return to community partners to present the finalized profile.

What the board asked for: several directors asked for clarity about the advisory committee that developed the survey (Ali said HYA staff worked internally with district staff to draft questions) and about protections to prevent identification of candidates in the blind process. Ali said names and identifiable details will be removed from materials presented to the board.

Ending

The leadership profile is in draft form. The district and HYA asked board members for written edits and said they will finalize the document, post it, and use it as the rubric for candidate screening and interviews.