Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools board outlines superintendent search timeline and posting options

The Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools board on May 11 met in a special session to plan an expedited superintendent search, set tentative dates for training and interviews, and finalize how the district will advertise the position.

Barb Dorn, a search consultant with the Minnesota School Boards Association, told the board that Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law and the Government Data Practices Act will govern the process and that "the names of every single applicant for this position are private data," so the board must avoid discussion that would identify candidates. Dorn advised the board to expect an abbreviated, largely public process in which finalist names become public once the board selects them.

Why it matters: The board is balancing a short timeline with the need to protect candidate privacy while preserving a fair, level-playing field for applicants. The decisions on timeline, posting options, and communications shape who applies and how the community can provide input.

The board agreed to the following tentative schedule and next steps: post the vacancy immediately with an application deadline of May 19; MSBA will give the board access to application materials beginning May 20; interview training and finalist selection are scheduled for May 26 at 6 p.m.; candidate interviews are tentatively reserved for June 1 and June 2 (placeholders starting at 5 p.m.); a board designee will begin contract negotiations soon after interviews; and the board is targeting a special meeting on June 15 at 6 p.m. to approve an employment contract with a goal of a July 1 start date for the new superintendent.

On the posting and candidate options, Dorn described three advertising branches: (1) an interim superintendent on a one-year contract; (2) an interim who would be eligible to audition to remain beyond one year; and (3) an immediate multi-year contract (for example, three years). Board members debated candidate-pool effects, the complications of asking different interview questions for different contract types and the risk that an interim hired now could face a different board after the upcoming election. After discussion the board elected to leave all three options available in the application and let applicant responses and MSBA vetting guide which path the board pursues.

On experience and leadership profile, the board approved language that lists previous superintendent experience as "preferred but not required," reflecting a general preference for experienced leaders while avoiding a posting barrier that could shrink the candidate pool in a late-stage search.

The district size and posting details were clarified for the vacancy brochure: approximately 8,700 students (pre-K through grade 12) and an employee headcount the board agreed to present verbatim as approximately 1,300 (the board noted that that figure varies depending on whether part‑time coaches and seasonal staff are included). Dorn also confirmed the posting will reference the communities served (Prior Lake, Savage, Credit River and Spring Lake Township) and that MSBA will provide a communication blurb and a recorded Q&A session for candidates and stakeholders on May 13 at 4:00 p.m. (the Q&A is not a board meeting and will be recorded for later viewing).

Compensation: Board members recommended a wide, market-reflective salary range to avoid excluding qualified candidates. The group discussed a posting shorthand given in the meeting as "2.10 to 2.90," which the board clarified to mean approximately $210,000 to $290,000 as the posted range; MSBA said the final posting will include an explanation and that individual offers remain negotiable based on experience and benefits.

Communications and ground rules: Dorn urged board members not to attend the May 13 Q&A (to avoid intimidating participants), to avoid recruiting or privately soliciting candidates, and to direct media inquiries to the board chair and the communications director. She warned that once finalist names are public the board will receive targeted lobbying and social-media campaigns and advised members to accept input but not engage in back-and-forth public discussion about candidates. Board members agreed that submitted application materials are private data and that interview notes and applications will be managed by a confidential district employee for retention following the district’s policies.

Quotes that capture the discussion: "The names of every single applicant for this position are private data," Barb Dorn said, warning the board to avoid identifiable discussion of candidates. "You will have access to all of those applications. You will also be discussing those applications in an open meeting" but must avoid revealing identifying details.

Board member Mary said she favored an interim one‑year contract to "buy us the time" given upcoming elections, budget pressures and district changes: "I'm still with the interim 1 year contract only, because that buys us the time." Dorn cautioned that internal candidates and retired superintendents present different recruitment dynamics.

What happens next: MSBA will post the vacancy and the application link, host the recorded Q&A on May 13, provide the board access to applications beginning May 20, and provide a recommendation of finalists shortly before the May 26 meeting. The board will hold interview training and (if needed) select finalists May 26, interview candidates June 1–2 if required, have a board designee begin contract negotiations immediately after interviews, and aim to approve a contract June 15 so a new superintendent could start July 1.

No formal vote was recorded during this planning meeting; the board closed the meeting after MSBA’s remarks and a brief wrap-up.