Board poised to make weighty decision

While the rest of us are relaxing this weekend, the seven members of our Governing Board will be undertaking one of the, if not the, most important decision that they will make in their service to this community.  On Friday and Saturday, they will conduct interviews for Clovis Unified’s next superintendent, and by mid-April plan to announce the name of the person who will assume leadership of our 37,500-student district upon my retirement this June.

Anyone who has been involved in the hiring of employees has felt the weight of responsibility to select the perfect person for the job, and our Governing Board members are no different.  They know and appreciate the faith that members of our community have placed in them to find a person of integrity, an innovator, and a caring leader to assume responsibility for our students.  You can be sure they are entering into this process with their eyes open and their antennae up to find the best possible match for Clovis Unified.

They started the search last November, with the selection of a consulting firm to assist in identifying and screening potential candidates.  In January, a series of meetings were held with the Board, our employees, parents and members of the community to gather information about the qualities these groups hoped to see in the District’s next superintendent.  Those not able to attend meetings were invited to submit comments directly to the search firm. This information was then shared with the Board, and used by our consultants to identify potential candidates from the ranks of seated superintendents around California.

One message delivered loud and clear during these meetings was that our community did not want someone to come in and change everything about Clovis Unified. Instead, a clear consensus emerged that our community and Board are united in their desire for a leader who will protect the many wonderful things about Clovis Unified, while always keeping the District several steps ahead of other public schools in the nation.

Between the January community meetings and the March 2 deadline for applications, our consultants personally approached top superintendents around the State who possessed the qualities our Board identified as most important in Clovis Unified’s next leader.  After the application deadline, additional research was conducted on all candidates to assure that our Board was considering highly qualified applicants for the next step – personal interviews.

April 3 and 4 the Board has planned a special meeting to conduct these interviews, and it is expected that these interviews will result in the identification of a finalist for the job.  At that point, the process is not complete.  If the selected candidate is someone from outside of the local community, the Board may choose to conduct a visit to the candidate’s community to confirm the person’s suitability for Clovis Unified.

Finally, if all of these steps affirm the Board’s choice, a special meeting will be scheduled in mid-April for the Board to vote on the selection of a new Superintendent, and announce the new appointment to our employees and community.  At which time, the real work will begins.

I have invested a large part of my life – 33 years – to Clovis Unified.  While I am looking forward to my retirement, I will never lose my heart for this District.  Along with the hundreds of other CUSD retirees, whether they are former superintendents, administrators, teachers or support staff, I am sincerely interested in the continued success of Clovis Unified.  I am confident that our Governing Board will keep our combined best interest at heart as they conclude their search for CUSD’s next superintendent.