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Chippewa Falls school board to skip consultant interviews, move to Tuesday vote on search firm
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Summary
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District board reviewed four consultant proposals for a superintendent search, heard staff scoring that ranked McPherson Jacobson highest, and voted to forego candidate interviews and decide the firm at its next regular meeting.
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District board reviewed four responses to its superintendent-search request for proposals and voted to skip planned interviews, moving the selection decision to the board's next regular meeting.
Chad Bergman, who presented the RFP review, said the district solicited proposals from 17 firms and received four responses, with returns due Friday, July 11. "As you can see by the attached, there were 4 firms, that had responded to the RFP," Bergman said. He described independent scoring using the RFP evaluation criteria and a five-point rubric: "Hazard Young Attea at 3.85, McPherson Jacobson 4.475, WSB at 3.725, and Rhea and Associates at 3.7." Bergman told the board the firms were generally comparable on price once add-on services were aligned.
Board members discussed differences among the proposals, including network reach and the scope of a la carte services. One board member noted the Wisconsin Association of School Boards option could offer "an extremely wide network" because of WASB's statewide presence, and others said McPherson Jacobson's recent work in the district meant familiarity and deeper local references.
Several members recalled that McPherson Jacobson handled the district's previous search during a compressed 2020 timeline and performed extensive reference and background checks. Some trustees said that familiarity and a strong technical match in the proposal weighed in favor of McPherson Jacobson; others said interviews would provide a valuable opportunity to compare firms in person.
After discussion, a motion to forego interviews and move directly to a vote on the search firm at Tuesday's regular meeting was made and seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Procedurally, Bergman told the board it has discretion under the RFP to bypass interviews; members agreed to resolve the firm selection at the scheduled meeting rather than holding a special interview session. The board then completed remaining business and adjourned.
The next procedural step is the board's vote on the consultant selection at its regular meeting on Tuesday; the district did not specify which firm will be chosen at tonight's meeting.
