HR director outlines hiring workflow; committee debates whether to 'Google' applicants
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Summary
Lewiston Public Schools HR director Susanna Gallant walked the committee through the district's multi-step hiring process and said LPS does not routinely search applicants online but will investigate credible concerns; committee members pressed for clearer thresholds and suggested state-level reporting changes.
Susanna Gallant, Lewiston Public Schools' director of human resources, presented a step-by-step walkthrough of the district's hiring process, from posting jobs and collecting transcripts to internal background checks, reference checks, Department of Education certification verification and the nomination process that culminates with a school-board approval.
Gallant said LPS requires applicants to disclose past investigations, nonrenewals or terminations on the application and runs both internal background checks and the Department of Education fingerprinting process. She described multiple layers of review — hiring managers, interview panels, HR, the controller and operations director — before a nomination reaches the superintendent and school board.
On whether the district searches applicants online, Gallant said LPS does not "Google" every candidate as a routine step because public online material can be unverified and introduce bias. "If we're gonna Google somebody, it's gonna be because there's a question that has come up along the way that we think might benefit us from," she said, noting the district will pursue additional checks when credible concerns emerge. Gallant added that legal and verification limits mean claims found only online can be difficult to act on unless corroborated by reliable records.
Committee members asked practical questions about when search activity occurs, how internal records mark prior investigations and which staff review nominations before they appear on the consent agenda. Gallant described Frontline notes the district uses to flag prior personnel issues and said that, for positions with many applicants, staff capacity limits routine online searches.
Several committee members suggested establishing clearer thresholds for when to escalate concerns, including using executive sessions for personnel concerns, seeking changes to state reporting requirements so districts must share investigatory findings more consistently, and using committee members' review of consent-agenda names as an additional safeguard.
Ending: Gallant told the committee she welcomes follow-up and that the HR office will work with the board on any process refinements; no formal policy change was made at the meeting.