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Lakeville board opts to start superintendent search with RFI; schedules presentations in late November
Summary
At a working session the Lakeville Area Schools Board agreed to begin the superintendent search by soliciting information (RFI/RFQ) from search firms, then schedule presentations the week of Nov. 28. The board discussed stakeholder engagement, timeline flexibility and next steps for vendor review.
The Lakeville Area Schools Board of Education agreed at a working session to begin its search for a new superintendent by asking firms for information about their standard packages and pricing, rather than launching an immediate, prescriptive RFP. Chair Kim Baker opened the meeting and framed the discussion around two items on the agenda: the superintendent search procurement and filling a vacant board seat.
Board members told staff they wanted to define the activities they expect a search firm to perform — stakeholder engagement, drafting a candidate profile and candidate sourcing — before locking in dates. Several members said firms’ approaches vary widely and that an initial request for information (RFI) or request for quotes (RFQ) would let the district gather common offerings, cost ranges and typical timelines from multiple vendors.
The group recalled the district’s prior practice of soliciting proposals or quotes, interviewing a short list of firms and then selecting a vendor after presentations. Based on that experience, board members proposed sending an RFI/RFQ package to firms, allowing roughly two weeks for responses, reviewing submissions at a working session on Oct. 22, and inviting a small number of firms to present the week of Nov. 28 (possible presentation nights discussed: Nov. 28 and Nov. 30).
Interim Superintendent Michael Bauman noted past searches combined firm-supplied candidate sourcing with stakeholder sessions that helped distill what the board and community wanted in a superintendent. Board members debated whether stakeholder sessions should happen before or after the new board members are seated on Jan. 1; several said new members should be able to observe or later participate in stakeholder feedback even if they cannot formally vote until sworn in.
Operational deadlines discussed included posting an RFI/RFQ in early November, a two-week response window, review at the Oct. 22 working session and firm presentations the week of Nov. 28. Members agreed to circulate a draft RFI/RFQ over the coming days, post the materials publicly and to targeted search firms, and to reconvene if responses require schedule adjustments.
The board did not take a formal vote on procurement approach during the working session; members asked staff to prepare a draft RFI/RFQ for review at the next meetings and to confirm posting and outreach channels.
