Newberg SD 29J personnel committee advances compressed timeline for interim superintendent search

The Newberg School District 29J personnel committee reviewed and refined a condensed hiring timeline for an interim superintendent during a Sept. 4 meeting in the district office boardroom. Committee members said the board will consider adopting the timeline at its regular Sept. 10 meeting and the position will be posted through COSA, the Oregon School Boards Association and the Washington State School Directors' Association.

Committee members reported that Claudia Stewart’s online survey produced 55 responses summarizing community priorities for the role, and they agreed the posting should emphasize both proven educational experience and fiscal expertise. The draft posting language under review described a "servant leader who puts students at the heart of everything we do," along with expectations for experience in education and leadership, demonstrated fiscal management skills, transparent communication and a working knowledge of laws, policies and special programs affecting schools. The committee also confirmed candidates must possess the Oregon license required to serve as superintendent.

Under the timeline discussed, the posting is slated to be submitted for external posting on the 11th; the position was described in the meeting as closing on Sept. 20. Committee members said COSA will receive and preprocess applications rather than the district office, after which the personnel committee planned to review applications in the days following the closing. The group described a staff and community forum scheduled for Sept. 26 (to gather feedback on finalists), with candidate interviews planned for Oct. 1 and a board meeting in early October (Oct. 8 mentioned) to consider contract approval. Committee members noted Dr. Radich’s contract ends Oct. 13 and the district’s goal is for a new hire to begin on Oct. 14 if timing allows.

The committee discussed confidentiality for applicants and how that requirement interacts with open-meeting law. One member asked how anonymity for applicants would work "until you get to the two finalists," and members replied that some of that work would take place in executive session so that finalists' identities could be held confidential until a public stage. The committee agreed to properly notice any executive sessions and to use them for candidate screening or finalist deliberations when lawful and necessary.

Members asked that district policies CB (superintendent) and CBA (qualifications and duties) be attached to the public posting so candidates can review current board policy; they noted CB was last revised in 2022 and CBA in 2013 and suggested interview questions could include whether candidates would recommend policy changes. The committee also requested a comparative salary-and-benefits review for similar-sized districts; Christa (staff) was expected to provide that information by Oct. 10.

The personnel committee set internal deadlines and meetings for preparing interview questions and narrowing candidates. Board members will submit suggested interview questions in advance; the personnel committee planned meetings at 5 p.m. on Sept. 17 and Sept. 19 (the Sept. 17 meeting is to be held by Zoom) to draft and finalize questions, and the committee discussed contingency meeting dates to narrow finalists if a large pool of applicants is received. Several members cautioned the timeline is compressed and may require adjustments depending on the number of applicants and candidates’ availability.

Next steps: the committee will move the revised timeline out of draft form for the Sept. 10 board packet, submit the posting to COSA/OSBA/WSSDA, collect applications through COSA, hold screening and potential executive sessions to narrow finalists, host a staff/community forum on Sept. 26, conduct interviews on Oct. 1, and return to the board for contract action in early October. The committee scheduled its next personnel meeting for Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. via Zoom and adjourned.