OASD Future

Well, it is official (or almost) according to the Northwestern Todd Gray has accepted the position as superintendent of the Waukesha school district.

While the timing is unfortunate (having to look for a business director before the search for a superintendent has even begun) I wish Mr. Gray well and I do not think the board has made a mistake in deciding to search for a superintendent rather than just pick someone "in house" who happens to have a superintendents license.

I have been following the OASD School Board for nearly 11 years and I have never felt as hopeful about the district's future as I do now. The new board really seems to get along well, they have fun, they disagree without being disagreeable and they really seem to want to focus on moving the district forward rather than engage in petty bickering.

As for the search for a superintendent, it was clear to me at the last board meeting that 6 of the 7 board members are prepared to find and hire the best candidate they can find, whether that person is already working in the district, or is employed by another district, even one outside the state of Wisconsin. I think that is a wise approach.

I think organizations should always strive for the best qualified candidate for any position but especially the top position in the organization. How can you know if an internal candidate is the best candidate if you don't even consider any others? Some say not automatically hiring someone from within the district with the requisite license is a mistake that will make it hard to find a superintendent... that makes little sense to me since obviously all external candidates would hope the district would not "hire from within". This district has "promoted from within" a number of times in the recent past, but always after an interview process... think Lincoln School, Oaklawn School, Webster Stanley Elementary School... each of those principals was a teacher in our district before becoming the principal. To say we don't promote from within simply is not based in fact.

I am willing to wait and see where this hiring process leads us. I think the board should seize the opportunity that has presented itself and find a new superintendent to lead the district forward.

How much or how little do you feel the public should be involved in this decision? Hiring a superintendent (as well as evaluating the superintendent) is the primary job of a school board. It seems few, if any, members of the public are interested in this process. Personally, I think a model similar to that the Common Council used would serve the district well. A chance to observe candidates interacting with the public, is vital. The rest is up to the board.