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Lake County board opts for board-led, internally posted superintendent search with public website
Summary
After debating three paths — an executive search firm, a board-led search, or an immediate board appointment — the Lake County School Board chose a board-led internal posting with a public website and community feedback tools, and asked staff to bring a revised job description for approval.
The Lake County School Board on July 7 directed staff to pursue a board-led superintendent search (option 2) that includes an internal posting and a public-facing website for applicants and community input, rather than contracting an external executive search firm.
The board heard three options from staff: (1) retain an executive search firm (estimated $25,000–$45,000+, regional/national pool), (2) a board-led in-house search run with HR and the board, and (3) a board appointment with a transition period. Staff outlined typical timelines — about 3–5 months for a search firm and roughly 2–4 months for an in-house process — and noted legal considerations including public-record rules and Sunshine Law obligations.
Board members discussed trade-offs. Some members said an external firm had been successful previously and can broaden candidate reach; others argued the district has strong internal candidates and that using public dollars for an expensive firm was unnecessary. One member proposed a hybrid "2.5" approach: an internal posting with scoring and a public website to maintain transparency.
The board coalesced around a plan to post the vacancy (minimum qualifications to include current district-level leadership and superintendent certification, with five years recommended), have HR screen for minimum qualifications, allow board access to score and rank applicants, and bring a recommended short list back to the board. The board instructed staff to prepare a revised job description for discussion at the next Monday meeting, to create the candidate website (with community input and the ability to separate staff and community feedback), and to open an application window (staff discussed four-week posting as a guideline).
Board members emphasized transparency and public trust; legal counsel reminded the group that any subcommittee work must comply with Sunshine Law and that administrative vetting to minimum qualifications is permissible.
The board did not make a final appointment at the workshop; instead the membership approved the process to post and vet candidates internally, set job-description work for the next agenda, and directed HR to return with website and timeline details.
