Tangipahoa Parish search committee hears firm’s screening plan and agrees to begin advertising superintendent vacancy

At a June 16, 2026 meeting, the Tangipahoa Parish School Board’s Superintendent Search Process Committee heard a presentation from Top Talent Management Group on the firm’s evaluation methods and agreed to begin advertising the superintendent vacancy while scheduling a special meeting to finalize the public posting.

Top Talent representative Mr. Hickeyi told the committee his firm’s approach goes “beyond the resumes” to verify experience and assess executive performance, using a proprietary questionnaire (the Privy index) and an “executive combine” to place candidates under pressure and then rank them. He said the firm will present all applicants and provide ranked recommendations; the board retains discretion over whom to interview.

Committee members pressed the firm on verification and public disclosure. Citing a past hiring problem, members asked whether the firm conducts background checks and checks references beyond those listed by applicants; Mr. Hickeyi said verification and extended reference checks are part of the interview process. He estimated the pool for a parish the size of Tangipahoa — roughly 140,000 residents — could yield 40 to 60 vetted applicants.

Board members raised concerns about third-party rankings becoming public and inviting criticism about why particular candidates were or were not interviewed. Several said they want the firm to confirm minimum qualifications and flag clearly unqualified applicants, but not to substitute the board’s decision-making role. The firm said the board can specify how many candidates it wants to see (for example, 10 or 20) and may alter qualification criteria after initial review.

The committee debated the form and length of the job announcement. Some members objected to a five‑page job description as unsuitable for a newspaper notice; the firm and other members clarified that a short newspaper notice may direct readers to a full posting online or to the firm for the full job description. The firm also noted it uses national online outreach in addition to the district’s required local notices.

On timing, the firm proposed an aggressive roughly 60‑day timeline but reminded members that Louisiana requires public posting for 30 days before certain steps proceed. The committee agreed to begin the advertisement process promptly — HR must publish the official notice — and to call a special public meeting (with quorum and appropriate notice) in the next few days to approve the final posting text and start the state 30‑day clock. No formal vote or motion to advertise was recorded in the transcript of this meeting.

The firm recommended a one‑day final interview event (for example, interviewing a short list of finalists in a single day and selecting two finalists later that evening) to balance confidentiality and efficiency; committee members said they will consider whether to hold initial screenings by video and bring finalists for in‑person presentations to the public.

The committee asked the firm to resend a project timeline and a draft advertisement ahead of the special meeting so members can review the language and specified requirements. The committee had no public comment on the item and adjourned the agenda item after asking for those materials.

What’s next: The district’s HR office will prepare the official notice for publication once the committee confirms the posting language at the special meeting; the 30‑day state posting period will determine when interviews and subsequent steps can begin.