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Ann Arbor Board names seven superintendent interview finalists and sets March 16 interview day
Summary
The Ann Arbor Public School Board voted to invite seven finalists for first-round superintendent interviews on March 16, set interview logistics and asked the search consultant to confirm candidate availability and post materials publicly.
The Ann Arbor Public School Board on Tuesday finalized a slate of seven candidates to invite for first-round interviews in the district’s superintendent search and set logistics for interview day.
At a hybrid regular meeting and study session, trustees voted to convene at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, with a 30-minute pre-interview preparation period and roughly 45 minutes scheduled per candidate. The board approved the plan after discussing start times, Ramadan observance and accommodating candidates’ time zones.
The board instructed consultant Dr. Serena Shivers and search firm HYA to contact the candidates to confirm they will accept interview invitations and to make their information public once confirmed. “You guys did an exceptional job,” Dr. Serena Shivers told the board, congratulating trustees on their vetting work and noting the next step is confirming candidate willingness to proceed.
During the meeting trustees moved through HYA’s tiered recommendations, voted to stop considering Tier 3 candidates and then considered individual Tier 2 and Tier 1 names. The board approved invitations for candidate numbers 1, 7, 10, 13, 16, 2 and 28 to move forward to first-round interviews. Trustees emphasized fairness in questioning and were told a draft of proposed interview questions would be posted in the board portal; trustees may submit edits to the question set by the Wednesday before interviews.
Trustees also discussed how interviews will be run: the president will assign specific questions to board members and the board will aim to keep follow-up questions consistent across candidates unless a candidate’s unique answer warrants a targeted follow-up. Dr. Shivers said HYA would contact references and advised trustees on best practices for follow-ups and equitable interviewing.
Next steps: HYA will reach out to confirm candidate availability, the board will finalize interview questions and the schedule will be posted publicly. The board indicated it may narrow the finalist list further if needed before the March 16 sessions.
