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Petaluma City Elementary board advances superintendent search, sets mid‑May interview schedule
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Summary
The Petaluma City Elementary Board of Trustees approved a consultant-led timeline for its superintendent search, agreed to post the job immediately, and scheduled virtual and in-person interviews for mid‑May, with a slate meeting set for May 11 and finalist deliberations the week after.
The Petaluma City Elementary Board of Trustees advanced a consultant-led superintendent search on April 7, approving a timeline that opens the job posting immediately and schedules interviews in mid‑May, consultant Hank Harris said.
The board’s action sets several firm dates: a closed-session slate presentation on May 11; virtual, scripted preliminary interviews set for May 15 (a full day); two in-person finalist interviews on May 19 (8 a.m.–5 p.m.); and, if needed, a final interview and deliberation on the morning of May 20 with deliberations extending to 2 p.m. Trustees also agreed that the recruitment window will open the next day and run through about May 2, after which consultant staff will begin preliminary screening and outreach to selected applicants.
Hank Harris, the search consultant with Human Capital Enterprises, told trustees he and colleague Lou Anne Carlamagneaux led community outreach including small engagement groups and a district‑wide survey. "I forget the exact number, but it was well over 300 folks who responded," Harris said; Carlamagneaux later clarified, "We had about 356 responses." Those inputs will inform a draft "next superintendent" criteria that Lou Anne will circulate to trustees before the board’s April 14 meeting for review and possible edits.
Harris described the mechanics trustees should expect: consultants will review applications, advance a subset for preliminary videotaped, scripted interviews (Harris said those interviews are typically about 20 minutes and recorded with candidate consent), perform a telephone reference check, and upload materials to an applicant‑tracking system (the consultant called it "Breezy") so trustees can review confidential candidate files. Trustees agreed the slate meeting to discuss the most promising applicants will be held in closed session.
On compensation, Harris initially proposed a salary band of $295,000 to $305,000. Trustees debated optics and competitiveness and agreed to post a base salary range of roughly $270,000 to $300,000 while noting that stipends and benefits could increase total compensation during contract negotiations.
Trustees also discussed qualification and residency preferences. Lou Anne noted that California requires an administrative credential to be a superintendent but the board can allow a waiver under certain conditions; trustees signaled they want an instructional leader but left limited flexibility for strong out‑of‑state candidates. On residency, trustees settled on a maximum driving radius (about 40 miles) as a guideline to avoid long commutes.
Board members emphasized candidate confidentiality and a single channel for candidate inquiries: Harris asked trustees to refer candidate communications to the consultant team so all applicants receive equal treatment. Trustees agreed to run background checks on the top two or three finalists before making a final decision.
The next procedural steps are posting the vacancy (Harris said the posting will go live on the consultant’s website and be distributed through recruitment channels the following day), trustees’ review of the draft candidate criteria at the April 14 meeting, and the slate meeting on May 11. The board adopted the evening’s agenda at the start of the session and adjourned after the superintendent‑search discussion.
