School Board sets schedule for Superintendent search
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the School Board of Alachua County workshop on September 9, the board set a schedule for the Superintendent search and learned that they will need to offer a substantial salary to get a good candidate.
Consultants from McPherson & Jacobson, the firm selected by the board to conduct the Superintendent search, spent several hours detailing every step of the search process.
The consultants presented a draft search calendar:
- October 16 and the week of October 19 – Stakeholder meetings
- November 9 through January 4 – Applications accepted
- January 20 – Candidate presentations
- Week of February 1 – Round 1 interviews
- Week of February 8 – Finalist interviews
- TBA (likely mid-February to early March) – Superintendent named
After a discussion about how many groups would want to participate in the stakeholder meetings, the board indicated that they would prefer four days of stakeholder meetings instead of the original two days, and they directed staff to negotiate an amendment to the contract for the additional cost of adding a fourth day to the “up to three days” provided for in the contract with the consultant. Online surveys will also be available for the public to provide input to the search process.
School Board members will each make a list of groups they think should be involved in the stakeholder meetings, and the consultant will work with District staff to schedule the meetings.
A consultant said they typically present three to five applicants during the candidate presentation meeting (scheduled for January 20), but board members can also bring up any candidates they are interested in discussing at that meeting; however, the consultant said that those candidates must meet all the criteria established by the board. The consultant also said it’s typical to interview about four applicants in Round 1 and reduce that to two candidates for the finalist interviews.
A consultant said he looked at the contract for Shane Andrew, the Superintendent who preceded current Superintendent Kamela Patton, “and I would tell you, you’re going to have to raise the compensation rate to get the person that you want.” Andrew’s final base salary in 2024 was $182,500; Patton was hired later that year at a base salary of $234,000, plus $2,000 per month for temporary living expenses, along with cell phone and vehicle expenses.
The next super will definitely have a super salary. And I never have understood “stakeholders,” aren’t the children the stakeholders?
Yes….and the parents who send their kids to public school are the ‘risk takers’ because if your child falls in with the wrong crowd you’re screwed.
Stakeholders =/= children
Stakeholders = public sector union & NGO’s
Sadly, you’re right Slice. It should be the parents holding down multiple jobs with kids that aren’t discipline problems at school. They seem to be the absolutely last group the SBAC wants to listen to.
This is outragsous to have to spend this much for am school system that is shrinking anjd test scores falling.
A consultant said he looked at the contract for Shane Andrew, the Superintendent who preceded current Superintendent Kamela Patton, “and I would tell you, you’re going to have to raise the compensation rate to get the person that you want.” Andrew’s final base salary in 2024 was $182,500; Patton was hired later that year at a base salary of $234,000, plus $2,000 per month for temporary living expenses, along with cell phone and vehicle expenses.
The consultants didn’t need to spend hours explaining the process–this school board fires a new superintendent every other year. They know the process better than any other school board in the country.
It’s going to be difficult to find a candidate they can grossly overpay more than Kamela Patton, who absolutely took the unsophisticated rubes on this school board (and us taxpayers) to the cleaners, but I have faith that this board can do it.