Okemos board narrows superintendent candidate profile, agrees preliminary posting range and timetable
Summary
In a facilitated work session, trustees refined candidate criteria (emphasizing safety, community engagement and operational leadership), agreed to an 'extended' preliminary salary posting and asked staff and consultant to finalize edits for Thursday posting.
Trustees and a facilitator from the Michigan Leadership Institute met in a work session to refine the profile for the district’s next superintendent and to set a preliminary compensation range and timeline for the public posting.
Facilitator Andy Engel asked trustees to list the top three challenges facing the district over the next three to five years and summarized community feedback that emphasized bond and building needs, budget and operational funding, and repairing relations and collaboration with staff. Trustees said the candidate profile should balance financial and operational expertise with community visibility, staff relations, safety and equity.
Board members debated how detailed the written profile should be. Several trustees urged shortening and synthesizing repetitive bullets so candidates could respond consistently; others said the profile should still signal the district’s priorities. Trustees asked that safety and student well‑being appear more prominently in the systems and operations section.
Engel explained the application packet will include a cover letter, a resume and a district application with about three substantive questions designed to let candidates demonstrate experience tied to the board’s prioritized criteria. Trustees said they will use a Feb. 18 "paper interview" screening to select applicants for first‑round interviews.
The meeting turned to compensation. Trustees discussed whether to post a narrow range or leave the base salary open. After debate about local comparators and recruitment risks, the board signaled support for an "extended" preliminary posting range that starts at $225,000 and allows room for negotiation up to roughly $250,000 (trustees described options between a $20,000 and $25,000 extension from a $225,000 floor). Members noted the posted range would cover base salary only and that total compensation (benefits, annuity, sick‑day buyouts, etc.) would be higher.
Trustees asked the facilitator and staff (Tom and Shannon) to integrate the meeting notes and circulate a final draft by noon the next day for any last edits, with the intent to post the vacancy on Thursday. The board did not take a formal vote on the salary range at the session; the range discussed was a preliminary posting guideline to attract a competitive candidate pool.
The work session closed with a request from the president that committee chairs provide highlights for a forthcoming year‑end board review. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
