Consultants Make Pitch to Guide Super Search

The school board has not yet made a decision on precisely how to conduct its search for a permanent superintendent but heard its second proposal from an outside firm Monday.

The principles behind Sousa and Stern Educational Consultants gave their pitch to the board on how they could help hire a superintendent by early spring. The consultants offered the board resources similar to those pitched by the New Jersey School Boards Association, albeit at a lower rate: the association would charge the board $6,500 to conduct the search, and Sousa and Stern would come with a $8,000 price tag.

"It's your search; everything belongs to you," said Nancy Stern. "We will aid you and are with you at all times," she said.

The post became vacant when former Superintendent Dr. Janet Razze retired at the end of the school year. Former Eisenhower Middle School Principal Richard Kuder is serving as the interim superintendent and has expressed interest in the permanent post.

The board doesn't necessarily have to hire anyone to help find a candidate, although an outside consulting firm would handle much of the tasks associated with a search. 

For example, Sousa and Stern (as well as the association) would post the job opening, solicit resumes and present candidates to interview who fit the board's stated desires.

Cathie Sousa said her firm would ask the board to develop the credentials and criteria to be employed during a search. For example, the board could decide to have Sousa and Stern only solicit interest from candidates who had been superintendents previously, if it wished.

All serious candidates would be asked to develop an "entry plan" for the board's perusal, where they would detail how they would approach their first six months on the job. Sousa and Stern would schedule sessions with the school staff and the community, where stakeholders would have the opportunity to ask questions of the shortlist of candidates to "show a comparison," although attendees wouldn't be "voting on the next superintendent," Sousa said.

If the board contracted with the consulting firm soon, Sousa and Stern would solicit candidates until early October. After the input sessions help whittle down the list of candidates, interviews and reference checks would likely last through the end of the year. They estimate the board would be making an offer to their ideal candidate by January, with that person taking over by March, after the contract offered is vetted by the county superintendent and notice is given to that person's current employer.

Although Sousa and Stern and the association both offer the board help in the search, all interviews would be conducted by board members, and all decisions rest with the membership.

"Everything (data, correspondence) we get is yours," Sousa said.

The prospect that superintendent salaries could be linked to district enrollment, as desired by Gov. Chris Christie, prompted questions by the board. Teacher associations have criticized the proposal, saying attractive candidates will look to neighboring states for work rather than accept a cap on their pay.

Sousa said her firm hasn't seen any evidence of that concern.

"Have you seen (candidate) pools diminish?," asked board President Anthony Robert Francin. 

"We anticipated people would withdraw; that has not happened," Sousa said.

Stern said "everyone is in a state of waiting" to see how the proposal plays out in the coming months.

Kuder currently makes $180,000 to fill the top district role. Francin said the board has been advised by its legal counsel that it would have to cap the superintendent salary at $165,000 if Christie's desire is realized.

The seven-seat board was short three members Monday, leaving it with the minimum number of members to conduct business. Francin said the absent members would be consulted before the board makes a decision on how to handle the superintendent search.