Beaverton school board hears three finalist search firms; committee to recommend one at follow-up meeting

Beaverton School District trustees on Thursday heard presentations from three finalist superintendent-search firms and set a follow-up meeting to receive the superintendent search committee’s recommendation.

Carrie Delph, staff lead for the search, opened the Sept. 25 work session by reviewing the committee’s process: solicitation of seven proposals, detailed scoring and a unanimous recommendation that three firms advance to live interviews. "You'll hear from each of the 3 firms," Delph said, and board members were instructed to record scoring and ranked preferences on feedback sheets that will go to the superintendent search committee.

The firms gave 15-minute overviews and then answered board questions about community engagement, confidentiality, vetting and cost. McPherson & Jacobson, represented by Dr. Steven Louder and regional director Steve Joel, emphasized a national recruiting model and strong stakeholder engagement. "What you get with McPherson and Jacobson is a true national search," Joel said, noting the firm customizes each search to local needs and typically plans for a five-year superintendent tenure to produce sustainable results.

Ray and Associates, led by Libra Ford and Rich McBride, described a five-stage process that includes board input, multi-language surveys and both in-person and virtual stakeholder meetings. Ray disclosed its pricing framework: a base fee of $35,000, an estimated overall budget of $41,750 and a not-to-exceed cap of $50,000 while noting some candidate travel or additional background checks would be district expenses. "We believe it's important to disclose right out front exactly what the budget would look like," McBride said.

Human Capital Enterprises, represented by Christy Perry and Hank Harris, highlighted local Oregon experience, close board engagement (one-on-one interviews with board members), confidential community panels to surface candid input from historically marginalized groups and a high-touch HR-centered approach to minimize staff burden. The firm pointed to its track record and outreach network as differentiators.

Board members asked detailed follow-up questions. Director Hassan and others sought specifics on how each firm would ensure authentic participation from linguistically and culturally diverse communities; firms described multilingual focus groups, translated surveys and targeted outreach to cultural organizations. Several trustees pressed about vetting: firms described multi-layered reference calls, review of public data on student outcomes and in-depth background checks on finalists. Dr. Carpenter specifically queried the use of AI in candidate sourcing; a firm representative acknowledged using AI search tools for background research but emphasized multi-step human verification.

Trustees also compared operational differences among the firms: Ray offered a clear timeline with proposed dates for application deadlines and finalist interviews, McPherson emphasized national reach plus optional post-placement support, and Human Capital described confidential community interview panels and a strong HR component. Cost and travel for out-of-area consultants drew sustained attention, with trustees asking whether travel would materially raise overall expenses.

No formal vote was taken at the work session. Board members completed scoring sheets and ranked-preference forms that will be collected, reviewed by the superintendent search committee and returned to the full board in a meeting scheduled for the following evening for a selection decision.

The board adjourned at 9:08 p.m.