PRAIRIE GROVE -- About 35 teachers, parents and members of the community attended a public meeting Feb. 8 to give their input on what they want in the school district's next superintendent.
Ken James with McPherson & Jacobson LLC facilitated the meeting held in the high school cafeteria. Prairie Grove School Board voted Jan. 17 to hire the firm for $17,800 to conduct a search for candidates for the position.
Earlier in the same day, James met separately for more than an hour with students, teachers, administrators and classified employees. Each stakeholder group had 12 members and, interestingly, James said many of the comments made by those in the meetings were very similar to the same comments made during the community meeting.
The district has advertised the position and the deadline for applications is March 28. James said his firm will take those applications and thoroughly vet all candidates to come up with a list of recommended candidates to publicly give the board at its April meeting. From this list, the board will decide whom to bring in for interviews.
James said the candidates who come in for interviews will first meet with the same stakeholder groups and all the information from these meetings will be provided to the board before it goes into closed sessions to interview top candidates, probably the first week of May.
He noted that Prairie Grove wants to hire a superintendent who is "happy" where he or she is now and who is successful now.
"You want them to be willing to look at Prairie Grove and Northwest Arkansas as a potential place to live," James said.
He added that Prairie Grove also wants to pay a competitive salary comparable to what similar school districts are paying, pointing out Prairie Grove is now paying a superintendent salary that is "quite a bit less" than what districts smaller than Prairie Grove are paying.
"You're looking at the person to get you to the next level," James said. "You have to be in the ballpark. Now, you're outside the fence."
Asked how much, James said Prairie Grove is under in salary by $10,000-$15,000.
James also said that, in his opinion, he did not think a person coming in as a first-year superintendent would be the right one for the job. Though he added, "I'm not saying they couldn't do it."
He encouraged those at the meeting not to dwell on the "hiccup" surrounding a controversial video on a school shooting shown to teachers during a professional development meeting on Nov. 30.
Teachers and others may not be satisfied with how showing the video was handled afterward but "we've got to go on," James said. "Don't dwell on it but on what's next."
A superintendent should be well visible in every school for a district the size of Prairie Grove, James said.
"When you sign on to be a superintendent, it's a nonstop job if you're good at it," he said.
James asked those at the community meeting to provide responses to four questions and as people spoke, he typed their comments into a document on his laptop. All this information will be used, he said, as the firm decides on its recommended list of candidates for the board.
The questions and some of the responses follow:
1. What are the greatest assets of the Prairie Grove community?
• The people and that they support the school district and help meet the needs of students and teachers.
• The size of the town and that it is accessible to resources, such as housing, the arts and sporting events.
• The community has a good mesh of people who serve in different roles.
• It's beautiful in Prairie Grove.
• Employment opportunities for other members of the superintendent's family.
• It's a huge opportunity for someone who is a problem solver.
2. What are the greatest assets of the Prairie Grove School District?
• The staff. Many people grew up in Prairie Grove, leave and then return to rear their children. They have an investment in the school.
• Safety in both the schools and community.
• It's a smaller school district so kids feel they are part of the school community and teachers and staff can have relationships with the students.
• The district is the hub of the community.
• Students from different socio-economic backgrounds are together in the schools and get along very well.
3. What characteristics are most important for the next superintendent?
• A visionary who will look five, 10 and 15 years down the road and have a plan for how to meet this vision.
• Good communications and fiscal responsibility.
• Courage to make necessary changes.
This comment was made along the lines of other statements made during the meeting. Several people said the district is "top heavy," with one person going so far as to say a new superintendent needs to have thick skin and come in and "clean house."
• To trust teachers to do their job.
• Someone who is willing to stand up and ask for a millage increase.
Elaborating on this comment, one teacher said Prairie Grove is short on teachers and resources and is "crippled" because it is impossible to have interventions with students for these reasons.
• Willing to listen and also willing to delegate because a superintendent cannot do it all alone.
• Someone who remembers what it is like to be a teacher.
• A lifelong learner and willing to model that.
• Someone with conflict resolution skills, who never settles and believes the school district can always improve.
• Proactive, not reactive.
4. What are the key issues the new superintendent will face on July 1?
• Housing growth in the community, managing the student growth and having space for that student growth.
• To show that teachers will be able to trust the new superintendent. One teacher predicted a lot of turnovers because of issues in the district and said staff who stay will need to have trust.
• Be prepared for the financial condition of the school district.
• To be willing to come in and stay in the position for many years.
From comments made by all stakeholder groups, James said he gathered that the district needs someone to "garner momentum and keep it going."
For this to work, James said, district staff, teachers, parents and the community will need to do their part to be ready to help and support the new superintendent.