• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

School board discusses superintendent search

JANESVILLE — How will the Janesville School Board find a superintendent to replace Tom Evert?

Board President DuWayne Severson had proposed the district conduct its own search with help from Studer Group, a consulting company that has been working to improve the school district’s performance.

But Quint Studer, who heads company, suggested Friday that might not be the best idea.

“I’m a big believer in search firms,” Studer said.

A search firm would contact high-quality people who aren’t necessarily looking for a new job but who might be the best match for Janesville’s needs, Studer said.

A search firm also could negotiate the contract, a frustrating process that the board might want to stay out of, Studer said.

Studer Group has helped in CEO searches in the health care field, but it is not a search firm, Studer said.

“We help make the process work well,” Studer said.

Studer outlined what his company could do for the district, all free of charge:

n Help write an interview matrix, which would list the qualities wanted in a new superintendent and then assign weights—levels of importance—to each quality.

n Help write questions for the interview committees to ask each candidate, based on the matrix. The answers to the questions and the matrix would point to the best candidate and weed out emotional preferences—such as desires to choose a local applicant or a Wisconsin applicant, an applicant of a particular gender or a younger person—Studer said.

n Train interviewers in the best way to conduct the interviews.

n Spread the word through its nationwide contacts that the position is available.

Studer said that because of the practices his company is planting in Janesville, the new superintendent should be very comfortable with “transparency,” meaning that information should be shared freely with the public.

The new superintendent also should be comfortable with a school board that gets involved in issues.

“You have a very engaged board,” Studer said. “And I’m not saying that’s wrong. It’s because you’re so passionate about what’s going on in this community.”

The board has asked search firms for proposals and has received two already. The deadline for proposals is 4 p.m. Monday.

Human Services Director Steve Salerno said the first two proposals have significantly different timelines than those the board is considering.

Evert noted that the goal is to name a superintendent before a new board is seated in April.

This spring’s elections have the potential to replace five of the nine board members, and it would be “daunting” for new board members to make this key decision, Evert said.

“I think (Studer) gave good reasons to look at a search firm,” Severson said after the meeting.

The next step is for the board to consider Studer’s advice, look at the search-firm proposals and make a decision as a group as to whether they want to spend money on a search, Severson said.