Board hears ASA plan for superintendent search, asks for expedited interim quote

The Liberty Elementary School District Governing Board on June 16 heard a consultant presentation on conducting a permanent and an interim superintendent search and requested a rapid pricing estimate to begin an interim search that could be completed within about four weeks.

Consultant Mark Jornstead of ASA told the board his firm's typical permanent search runs in six phases: profile development, posting and recruiting, application screening, board interviews, contract negotiation and open-meeting approval. Jornstead said a permanent search can reasonably be completed on an August-to-December timeline if the board moves forward immediately. "Often boards post in August, close applications in October and could approve a candidate in December," he said.

For an interim, Jornstead recommended a compressed process. "If you're going for an interim, you need to get moving," he told the board, suggesting a 1- to 2-week posting period and interviews and decision within a month so an interim could be in place before school starts. He said ASA has several retired superintendents who have expressed willingness to take short-term interim assignments.

Board direction and next steps

Board members expressed urgency about filling an interim before the school year and asked ASA to provide a written cost estimate for a four-week interim search and a brief scope of proposed steps so the board could approve the engagement quickly. "If we're going to do an interim, we just need to spell out exactly what we want," the board president said during discussion.

ASA said a typical permanent search for the district would likely cost under $10,000; ASA offered a ballpark of about $8,000 during the meeting and said the interim work would be considerably less. The board asked ASA to send an updated agreement and quote within days; ASA indicated it could deliver pricing by Thursday or Friday after the meeting.

Context and transparency

Jornstead emphasized the importance of adhering to open meeting laws and maintaining strict confidentiality during screening: "Referring all communications with applicants to the ASA search consultant until the board enters into contract negotiations with the finalist," he said, noting the board must avoid informal contacts that could create perceptions of favoritism.

Board members debated whether interviews should be held in executive session or open meeting. Jornstead recommended interviews of finalists in executive session to encourage candid answers and avoid candidate performances shaped by a public audience; several board members noted previous district searches had included public-facing candidate forums for finalists.

Provenance

- topicintro: "This is a presentation by the ASA relating to the district interim and or president superintendent search process." (transcript time 2344.655) - topfinish: "We need to get moving" / board asks ASA for updated pricing and scope (transcript time 5194.515)

Speakers (attributed in this article)

- Mark Jornstead, search consultant (ASA) - Michael Todd, Governing Board President - Board member Zimmerman, Governing Board member - Board member Schencioni, Governing Board member - Vice President Kenyon, Governing Board Vice President - Board member Schmidt, Governing Board member - Clyde (district staff) — quoted as district administrator coordinating contract paperwork

Topics: superintendent search; interim appointment; consultant engagement; open meeting law

Searchable tags: superintendent search, interim superintendent, ASA, governance, open-meeting law

Proper_names: [{"name":"ASA","type":"organization"},{"name":"Liberty Elementary School District","type":"organization"}]

Clarifying details: [{"category":"permanent_search_cost","detail":"ASA estimated a permanent search could be under $10,000, with a ballpark of about $8,000","value":8000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Mark Jornstead"},{"category":"interim_timeline","detail":"Board asked for a four-week maximum timeline for an interim search (posting, screening, interview and offer)","value":"4","units":"weeks","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Board members"},{"category":"not_to_exceed_for_policy_cross_ref","detail":"Contract amendment for cross-referencing trust policy manual set not to exceed $2,500 (separate item discussed concurrently)","value":2500,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Board member discussion"}]

Meeting_context: {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":8,"duration_minutes":140,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"2025-06-16","note":"Presentation by ASA and board direction to request a quote for interim search"}]}

Salience: {"overall":0.65,"overall_justification":"Leadership transition is operationally important; interim fill affects start-of-year planning but is not a final policy decision.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Affects district leadership and immediate operations.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Board signaled urgency to move quickly but deferred formal contract approval pending cost quote."}

Provenance_transcript_segments:[{"block_id":"2344.655","local_start":0,"local_end":92,"evidence_excerpt":"This is a presentation by the ASA relating to the district interim and or president superintendent search process. Our last meeting, you asked that we try to get this on for this meeting.","global_start":2344,"global_end":2436,"tc_start":"00:39:04","tc_end":"00:40:36","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"5194.515","local_start":0,"local_end":138,"evidence_excerpt":"We will get you a pricing quote by Thursday or Friday; if we're going to do an interim, we need to get moving.","global_start":5194,"global_end":5332,"tc_start":"01:26:34","tc_end":"01:28:52","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]