Focus Group Participation Sought for LaBranche Replacement

From the Windham School Board

To the Windham Community:

The Windham School Board (WSB) has begun the process of searching for a new Superintendent of Schools as we establish SAU 95 (Windham only) and separate from SAU 28 (comprised of Windham and Pelham).  The Board has engaged the services of the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to assist in this important task.  Dr. Ken DeBenedictis, an executive search consultant with NESDEC, will be assisting the School Board throughout the search process.

The WSB is committed to attracting the best candidates possible.  To this end, notice of the posted position has been distributed nationwide to over 750 educational leaders.

Gathering input from a variety of stakeholders is an integral part of the process in identifying the type of candidate who will be successful as the leader of our District. There will be two opportunities for faculty, administration, parents, and community members to provide input into the process: 1) through participation in focus groups, and 2) by serving on the Applicant Screening Committee.  Information on the Screening Committee will be forthcoming in the next several weeks. 

In advance of the establishment of the Applicant Screening Committee, NESDEC will be conducting a series of focus groups the week of October 15^th.  There will be five groups including:

• District Faculty
• District Leadership (Administrators)
• Parents/Guardians
• Community Members
• School Board Members

As your School Board we invite and encourage you to participate in one of these focus groups.  These sessions will offer you a venue to provide your thoughts and insights with a limited time commitment.  In addition, the focus groups will also provide you with an opportunity to identify critical tasks upon which the new superintendent should focus. 

In the final report for the School Board, the responses of participants at the focus group will be anonymous and only general themes will be reported. 

Each session will last approximately 1-1 ½ hours.

The schedule is as follows:

District Leadership Team – Monday, October 15^th - 1:00-3:00pm

Faculty – Monday, October 15^th – 3:30-5:30pm

Parents/Guardians – Tuesday, October 16^th - 7:00-9:00pm

Community Members – Wednesday, October 17^th - 7:00-9:00pm

These sessions will be held in the multi-purpose room at Golden Brook School.  There is no limit to the number of individuals who can attend.  There is no need to register in advance, and participating in the focus groups will not preclude you from potentially serving on the Applicant Screening Committee in late November.

The Windham School Board and NESDEC hope that you will be able to find time in your schedule to participate in this focus group. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to School Board Member Stephanie Wimmer (swimmer@windhamsd.org) or to any School Board member directly with questions.

Sincerely,

The Windham School Board