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Board approves accelerated timeline, draft RFP to hire district legal counsel
Summary
Superintendent presented a draft RFP and an accelerated timeline to have legal counsel in place by July 1; board identified about 10 candidate firms, set a June 2 submission deadline and June 8 interviews, and asked for scripted questions and governance-related RFP items.
The Somerset School Board reviewed a draft request for proposals to select its legal services provider and agreed on a compact timeline to identify counsel for the coming academic year.
Dr. Grama said the district aims to have legal representation in place by July 1 and presented a draft RFP and timeline. "We have identified 10 firms so far that...represent the state of Wisconsin; 9 of them are Wisconsin districts, 1 is based in Minnesota," he said, describing the pool of invitees and a plan to post the RFP publicly.
Key dates discussed included a submission deadline (stated by a board member as June 2 at 4:00 p.m.), a planned invitation window and confirmation that invited firms would be given notice of interview dates. Board members suggested bringing 3–4 finalists forward after administrative screening and interviews.
Board members proposed adding governance-related questions to the RFP, such as a firm’s philosophy on the legal roles of the board and superintendent, and asked for demonstration of relevant experience (rural districts, referenda, Title IX, special education and crisis management). Dr. Grama said he will update the RFP to specify invitation timing and circulate scripted interview questions in advance.
The board discussed interview logistics: holding interviews during the June 8 work session (presentation at 5 p.m. followed by interviews at 6 p.m.) and targeting a full-board recommendation at the June 15 meeting. Dr. Grama said administrative staff would handle initial screening for compliance and that the board could participate in finalist interviews held in open session.
No final hiring decision was made at this meeting; the RFP process, screening rubric and interview schedule were set as the next steps.
