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Board outlines superintendent search timeline, debates teacher-experience requirement
Summary
The board heard a presentation from search firm McPherson & Jacobson on timelines and community panels for the superintendent search, agreed to close applications May 11 and recruit community participants for two-day interviews in May, and debated whether classroom teaching experience should be a hiring requirement.
McPherson & Jacobson updated the Palo Alto Unified School District board on the superintendent search calendar and process, telling trustees that applications will close on May 11 and that finalist interviews are expected to be a two-day process that includes a community interview panel.
The search firm representative said the calendar is built backward from a targeted July 1 start and that the interview phase typically includes students and community members alongside the board. "The application will close May 11," the representative said, and staff urged trustees to confirm whether they want the longer closed-session candidate review in late May.
Trustees discussed whether classroom teaching experience should be a requirement for candidates. One trustee argued making teacher experience a requirement would bring "lived experience" and credibility to instructional leadership; others warned that strict requirements could exclude successful nontraditional candidates from leadership roles. The board directed staff to separate "teacher" experience from broader leadership preferences, signaling support for making classroom experience a required qualification while leaving some site- or district-level leadership experience listed as a preference.
Board members and the search team emphasized community engagement: the search team reported roughly 400–500 survey responses so far and described three kinds of public sessions—open, parent-focused and virtual—plus targeted focus groups. The district will present further details and the proposed ad-hoc community interview panel composition for board approval at the next meeting.
Public commenters urged caution about the pace of the search. Steven Davis told the board, "Please think about slowing it down so we get the right person as opposed to getting someone fast," while William Craig urged the board to consider alternate timelines and additional outreach.
Next steps: the board will post an updated job description reflecting trustee direction, confirm the final interview dates and formally approve the composition of any community interview panel at an upcoming meeting.
