Greenfield board unanimously engages MCOE to run superintendent search

The Greenfield Union School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Feb. 13 to engage the Monterey County Office of Education to run the district's superintendent search.

Board members directed district legal counsel and human-resources staff to contact MCOE and return with a contract or scope of work. Trustees said they want a transparent, community-facing process and discussed weighing three search approaches: an internal search, hiring an outside search firm, or working with the county office of education.

The choice to use MCOE followed an extended discussion of costs, timeline and local fit. Legal counsel Selena Yada Patlan outlined the usual options and described the RFP process for hiring search firms as a way to evaluate candidates, costs and proposed methods. She also told the board that the county office can run searches for substantially less than private firms in many cases.

Board members debated whether to conduct a local or national search and whether to open the position to outside candidates. Several trustees urged caution about spending large amounts on a national search and emphasized the value of local knowledge and continuity; others said an open process should allow any qualified candidate to apply. Trustees also discussed workload in human resources, noting an upcoming HR vacancy and saying MCOE could reduce staff burden.

Interim Superintendent Laura Cortez was mentioned repeatedly during the discussion. Several trustees praised her performance and said they did not want to lose an effective interim leader, but the board did not take action to appoint a permanent superintendent at the meeting.

Motion and next steps

The board recorded a unanimous vote to retain MCOE to conduct the search and directed legal counsel and HR staff to begin contract negotiations and to include community engagement opportunities in the scope of work. The board requested that the contract specify the extent of community input, whether town halls or other meetings would be part of the search, and an estimate of cost before the board commits funds. The board's action recorded a 5'0yes, 0'no tally.

Why it matters

Who the district selects as superintendent will set central priorities for instruction, budget and staffing. Trustees emphasized a desire for a process that is open to community input and that balances fiscal responsibility with an effort to find a well-qualified leader who understands local needs.

Provenance

The board's discussion of search options began when legal counsel described the three search approaches and the RFP process; the conversation culminated in a board motion and vote to engage MCOE. Topic introduction (excerpt): "I am legal counsel for the district. I'm here this evening to communicate to the board the options in terms of a superintendent search... we are guided primarily by your board policy 2021." Topic finish (excerpt): "By a vote of 5 0 unanimous vote, the board takes action to engage with MCOE to conduct the superintendent search."