Ann Arbor school board finalizes questions, process for superintendent interviews
Ann Arbor school board members Tuesday night hammered out a list of questions for superintendent candidates to answer in interviews next week.
“We looked at questions concerning things like trust and confidence, visibility, student achievements, media relations, handling unpopular decisions, prioritizing budget cuts and working with a diverse group,” Ann Arbor school board President Deb Mexicotte said. “We were really looking at questions unique to our community; questions that will show a strong connection to Ann Arbor.”
Interviews with the candidates for superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools will be held at the Courtyard Marriott, 3205 Boardwalk, because it is a neutral location and is cost effective, Mexicotte said.
Colorado Springs District 11 assistant superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift, New Jersey South Orange-Maplewood School District superintendent Brian Osborne and Derry Township Schools in Hershey, PA. superintendent Richard Faidley will be interviewed beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Eastern Michigan University College of Business Lecturer Henry Hastings, retired Oak Park superintendent Sandra Harris and Roberto Clemente Principal Benjamin Edmondson will be interview beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
Immediately following Tuesday’s interviews, the school board will meet with its search firm, Ray & Associates, to narrow down to two or three finalists.
The board has planned site visits in the finalists' districts for July 10th through July 13th.
“We want to personally connect with candidates to see if they are what the board is looking for,” Mexicotte said. “In some cases a site visit won’t be appropriate because they are a local candidate or are not currently working in a district. For those finalists we might go to their work place or speak with colleagues. The site visit portion will be candidate specific.”
A round-robin discussion will be held on July 16th and July 17th. In the case of a third finalist, the round-robin discussions will be extended to July 18th. Candidates will give presentations, which will be open to the public. They will also participate in public forums that allow community members to provide feedback.
Mexicotte said lunch and dinner meetings with cabinet members, staff and board members and a forum with invited guests will be a part of the round-robin portion of the interview process.
The board Tuesday also discussed the possibility of having candidates do advanced writing on a case study.
On July 17th the board will meet to consider information gleaned in the round-robin sessions and site visits and review original interview notes. Mexicotte said the board plans to select a superintendent on the 17th.
“Interview processes with multiple candidates tend to be very fluid, which is why it’s hard to say exactly what is going to happen,” Mexicotte said. “But we have a plan laid out, and we spent Tuesday night clarifying our process and answering any questions that have come up.”
Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.
Comments
burnsy
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 2:18 a.m.
From Hershey Pa....as much as we would love you to take Faidley, Dont do it!!!! Run, run very fast!!
TryingToBeObjective
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 9:49 p.m.
Are these the same questions they asked Green? REQUIRE their primary residency in Michigan. No second home. Proof of homestead. The first two interviewees will set the bar, and I bet the rest won't reach the bar. It's between Swift and Osborne. I don't care what color they are, or male vs. female. Just want someone to get the job done who as a backbone. Interesting there's no mention about Harris working in the financially screwed Lincoln district. We don't need another job-jumper (Faidley), a retiree who is bored wont cut it in this district (Harris), someone with a bucket list probably won't work out, though he's my third choice (Hastings), and we need someone who is good for the entire district, not only for a select group (Edmonson, who also wasn't "right" for the Pioneer or Skyline positions. He also caved to pressure regarding possible consolidation of RC and A2Tech. I wonder how his supporters will feel if that happens?)
treetowncartel
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 8:43 p.m.
Really, travelling to the districts where the finalists are from? Stewards of the public money at their finest.
Bill
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 10:37 p.m.
It would be good to visit ONLY if they meet with BOE personnel, teachers and administrators.
A2workinmom
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 9:20 p.m.
The board did not visit Dr. Green's former district and this was a huge mistake. The perception that she is "not engaged" or "cool" with our community would have been detected from her previous district. It is worth doing a full investigation.
DonBee
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 8:31 p.m.
I would want Ray&Assoc to setup meetings with school board members and senior staff in the districts the candidates are from, not have the candidates do it. Otherwise, the visits are pretty much a waste of time. My questions for the various candidates were posted on a prior thread. They are unique to each candidate. It seems like the board is planning one generic set of questions, based on this article. I hope that is not going to be true, the candidates have very different backgrounds and strengths. I also hope that they BOE will be tough in the interviews, rather than throwing softballs, like they did last time. Ignore the education jargon and focus on real answers in English this time too. The key questions for the candidates that can be generic... 1) We have STRUCTURAL budget issues, how are you going to deal with them? 2) We have issues with work rules in the various labor contracts, how are you going to deal with them? 3) We are not likely to get more revenue, how are you going to right size the budget to avoid issues of annual budget cuts? 4) How do you feel about zero based budgeting and will you keep the financial department focused in implementing it? If so why? If not, why not? 5) The district has several ineffective employees, how are you going to identify them and remove them? 6) The departing superintendent put metrics in place for many staff members, are you going to keep that program running on the schedule it was on? If so why? If not why not?
J. A. Pieper
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.
I don't understand why the BOE has to meet with the search firm to finalize the final two or three candidates. Who is employing this person? We need further advice from the company who steered us to Green? This is just totally ridiculous! Combine this with the trust that is not there for our BOE, and AAPS is heading toward further trouble.
Goober
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
My four questions would be as follows: 1 - after reading about the AA BOE, will you still respect them in the morning? 2 - if hired, will you stay for the duration of your contract? 3 - after about a year working with the current AA BOE members, will you have any respect for them? 4 - after interviewing with the current AA BOE members, can you work with these people? Go figure!
SonnyDog09
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 6:08 p.m.
What is the point of visiting the finalists' districts during the schools' summer vacation? Are they really going to learn that much by visiting empty school buildings?
Goober
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 9:18 p.m.
Can we spell boondoggle?
Jack Gladney
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 6:58 p.m.
I should add that the Hershey tour is a must for the board as its members are very snack oriented. To paraphrase Ms. Snead, "Going to Hershey and not getting chocolate is like not going to Hershey at all."
Jack Gladney
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 6:52 p.m.
Well the weather in Colorado Springs this time is wonderful, and Hershey has factory tours with free samples. New Jersey.... um... What the heck. It a free junket.
Ricardo Queso
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 5:49 p.m.
The BOE should retain the services of a proven financial manager to conduct the "budgeting" portion of the interview process.