The Ellsworth Kanopolis Geneseo USD 327 Board of Education met for a special meeting Dec. 10 to review results from a community survey and feedback.

Lori Blake from the Kansas Association of School Boards is leading the search for the district’s next superintendent. Current Superintendent Deena Hilbig announced her retirement plans in October.

“It’s information that will help me as I am applying the template filter over the candidates,” Blake said.

She will be present at the Jan. 12 meeting, where the BOE will review applicants and select a slate of candidates to interview.

“When we finalize candidates Jan. 12, we will verify all questions that night,” Blake said. “At the Jan. 5 meeting, you need to decide on salary range you’re willing (to pay). I don’t want to bring candidates that don’t fall in that range.” Board President Gina McGowan asked Blake to allow a little flexibility.

“If you’ve got a candidate, and they’re $5,000 more (than we hope to pay), I would appreciate knowing,” she said. “That’s where we got in trouble with Deena. She was wanting more, so we automatically put her in the no pile, so we missed out (on her during the first round of interviews) because of that.”

Blake said she will make a note of the request.

“A few people said you need to be willing to pay for the leader we need,” she told the board.

During the day Dec. 10, Blake met with community members, school employees and students.

“The students I met with are phenomenal,” Blake said. “You should be very proud of that. Not all students are able to articulate what’s important to them.

“Your students had some interesting observations. They’re concerned about taking AR away from elementary. They feel literacy has dropped. To have high school thinking about it and seeing it because of the interactions they have is, I think, insightful.”

Blake also discussed the results of a community survey. She said the top five priorities of those who responded are community and stakeholder engagement, leadership and personal qualities, experience and expertise, resource management and innovation and teacher retention and development.

“Including this evening, 125 different unique perspectives (are being presented),” she said.

She also met with certified and classified staff.

“Students and staff want to push past status quo,” Blake said.

Blake told the board the KASB conducted more than 30 superintendent searches before this academic year began.

“You are at the front end of the domino chain, which is good for you,” she said.

Blake pointed out superintendents don’t always have a long shelf life.

“The average tenure of superintendents currently is 4.6 years as average in the state of Kansas,” she said.

She said the longestserving superintendents skew the results.

“When you pull that out, average is 2.6 years of service,” Blake said. “The reality is people are not staying in jobs as long as they used to. Superintendents, it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. You know that. They don’t turn it off when they go home at night. It wears on a person.”

Board member Jake Svaty said a long-term fit is a high priority for him.

“I’d rather have a good one for two years than a bad one for six,” board member Brian Rush said.

Svaty said setting clear expectations from the start is important.

“Deena has done fantastic grant writing. There will be a blanket of avenues; they will have to wear multiple hats on,” he said. “If you’re not OK with that, make us aware of that beforehand. We don’t want to be halfway through a first year contract when they say, ‘That’s not my job.’” Board Vice President Ashley Bohl agreed.

“The ability for the next person to continue what Deena started (is important),” she said.

Blake reviewed the questions from the community and staff, gathering priorities from the board.

“Those things we just talked about are for your reference,” she said. “So you know at the end of the interview process, this is what you said you wanted, you have a measuring stick.

“(This is) so you don’t have persuasion from some charismatic personality. This is for your accountability purposes.”

The board asked about finding the right fit.

“When you’re meeting bodies to fill holes, (sometimes) you feel like you have to settle,” Blake said. “In this role, you cannot settle.

“If I do not have confidence in a candidate, I will let you know that.”

The next regular meeting is at 7 p.m. Jan. 5.

The board will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 to review monthly financials, welcome a new board member and review the superintendent applications.