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Dexter superintendent to retire Feb. 28, 2026; board discusses external search help and timeline
Summary
The superintendent of Dexter Community School District announced plans to retire on Feb. 28, 2026. The board discussed using an outside consultant (Michigan Leadership Institute) to conduct a community-informed superintendent search, the estimated costs and timeline, and next steps for approving a service contract.
The superintendent of Dexter Community School District announced that he plans to retire effective Feb. 28, 2026, and the board began a discussion of how it will run the district’s next superintendent search.
At the meeting, the superintendent said, “I am planning to retire at the February. So last thing would be 02/28/2026,” and told the board he wanted to give the district time to plan a transition.
Board members discussed hiring an outside search consultant to manage community input, candidate recruitment and interviews. The superintendent reported he had spoken with the Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) and said the firm would help with a timeline, an online survey, facilitated meetings with staff, community and students, application review, interview preparation and first-year mentoring for the new superintendent. Board members described the proposal as a way to gather “honest feedback” and to translate community input into a candidate profile and job description.
Cost estimates were discussed but not finalized. The superintendent and several board members cited a typical range for such services at “about $5,000 to $7,000” for a basic package, with other districts reporting higher costs for more extensive services; another figure mentioned for more extensive support was in the low tens of thousands. The board asked staff to return with a draft service contract and additional cost details at the next meeting.
Board members debated whether to run an external search or prioritize internal candidates. Several members said community feedback should drive the candidate profile and cautioned against retrofitting an internal applicant to match externally gathered priorities. The board also discussed calendar constraints tied to graduations, other district schedules and the availability of candidates and consultants.
The superintendent reminded the board that Dexter has used MLI in prior searches and described MLI consultants as former superintendents. Trustees asked the superintendent to circulate service-contract language and to gather any board questions ahead of the next meeting so the item could be returned as an action item.
No formal vote on hiring a search consultant was taken at the meeting. The board directed staff to bring back a proposed service contract and dates for the search process at the next regular meeting.
