Queen Anne's County board discusses superintendent search, timeline to fill July 1 vacancy

Queen Anne's County Board of Education members on Jan. 22 discussed options and a timeline for replacing Superintendent Dr. Salins after her announced retirement, and agreed to arrange presentations from search consultants before deciding how to proceed.

Board staff laid out four options and a schedule designed to produce a superintendent appointment by the board’s June meeting so the new superintendent could begin July 1, when Dr. Salins’s contract expires.

Staff described the options as: hire the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) to run the search and community input process; hire a private executive search firm; conduct the search internally without a contractor; or appoint an interim superintendent under state law if the board needs more time. "The law provides that the county board shall appoint an interim county superintendent," the staff member said, describing that an interim can serve until the next July 1 after appointment as a way to buy more time.

The presenter outlined a roughly four-month schedule if the board begins work in February: solicit and gather community input in late winter; finalize candidate criteria and advertise in March; screen applicants and run background checks in April; hold initial and second-round interviews in April and May; bring finalists to the community in May for meetings and site visits; and select a finalist in June to allow time for contract negotiation before a July 1 start date. The staff member said the board must make an appointment in June because Dr. Salins’s contract expires June 30.

Staff noted statutory and certification requirements that apply to any appointee: a superintendent certificate, graduation from an accredited college or university, completion of specified graduate coursework (including public school administration and supervision), and written approval from the State Superintendent as a precondition to appointment. The presenter said MSDE approval is handled after the board selects a finalist.

On costs, the staff member said the search option using a consultant is a budget item the board will need to cover but did not provide firm figures: "I don't wanna quote a price because it's not my place to do it," the staff member said. Board members asked whether the current budget included funds for a search; staff replied the cost is not currently identified in a specific line item and would be quoted by a vendor.

Board members asked about logistics and timing. Several members said they would like MABE and at least one private search firm to present at an upcoming meeting; the staff member offered to contact a private firm while a board member volunteered to contact MABE so the firms could present and explain services, costs and timelines. The board noted the Feb. 5 meeting as a possible date for consultant presentations and agreed additional meetings might be needed in March–May to accommodate interviews and finalist events.

Members raised procedural points: portions of the selection process typically occur in open session to gather community input, while candidate interviews and personnel deliberations may require closed sessions under personnel exceptions to public meeting laws. The presenter said they would advise the board when closed-session portions were necessary.

Discussion also noted practical constraints: other Eastern Shore counties are conducting simultaneous searches, which may affect applicant pools. Staff recommended gathering community input through consultant-facilitated surveys and stakeholder meetings.

The board did not take a binding vote on method or vendor at the Jan. 22 work session but directed staff and board officers to solicit proposals and schedule consultant presentations for a future meeting.

Next steps: designated board and staff members will reach out to MABE and at least one private search firm to request presentations; the board plans to finalize a process and schedule candidate engagement activities so a finalist can be selected in June.