Board moves to form hiring committee, narrows process for business manager and clerk candidates

The Lockwood K-12 Board of Trustees discussed next steps for filling a combined business manager and clerk position, given five applications on file and competing views on how broadly to advertise and how many candidates to interview.

Chair (identified in the record as the meeting chair) told the board they needed to move quickly to fill the position and suggested using the same interview approach that was used for the superintendent search. Several trustees urged narrowing interview questions so the board would not spend an hour or two on each candidate. Tom, a former trustee who spoke from the audience, recommended shortlisting three top candidates rather than interviewing all five.

Mr. Kinsey, who the chair asked to speak, told the board the position has been advertised on MASBO and said MASBO can provide training support for whoever is hired. Board members discussed whether to advertise more broadly on general hiring sites to expand the pool, and whether to include a salary range in the posting to attract candidates with stronger qualifications.

Trustees agreed to appoint a small hiring committee to screen applications, set interview parameters, and bring recommended interview questions and candidate lists back to the full board. The committee members named in discussion included Stacy and Jackie; the board also agreed to consider a brief additional posting window if necessary.

The board directed the committee to return with recommendations and agreed to consider final interviews and appointments at a special meeting to be scheduled later this summer.