Disputes between McDaniel and OKCPS shouldn't throw off search for new superintendent, board leader says

The disconnect between the Oklahoma City Public Schools board of education and its current superintendent, Sean McDaniel – which he said led to his unexpected resignation last month – shouldn’t affect the district’s search for his replacement, the board chair said Tuesday.

For the first time since McDaniel’s resignation on Feb. 26, Paula Lewis spoke to reporters after a special board meeting held at the headquarters of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, which is shepherding OKCPS through the search process. As she had in several prepared statements, Lewis praised McDaniel and said despite reports of discord in the days after McDaniel’s announcement – the board was split 5-3 as to whether to accept McDaniel’s resignation – the board remains united.

“The community can see here that the board is functioning,” Lewis said after the meeting, which was led by OSSBA officials, who guided the seven OKCPS board members in attendance through exercises designed to encourage them to think about specific qualities they want in a new superintendent. McDaniel, who is serving in the role until June 30, did not attend the meeting.

“The board is not asking for unrealistic qualifications or characteristics,” Lewis said. “It’s the same board that hired Dr. McDaniel. The vision is the same. Dr. McDaniel has done a phenomenal job with this district.”

In his resignation letter, McDaniel said, “a particular member of this Board and I have completely different views regarding individual board members' roles and responsibilities and mine in serving this District. For months, and in good faith I have tried to bridge that gulf through conversations with the board and with concessions I have been willing to make, but to no avail. I regret that our differing views of who should administer the District on a daily basis are now irreconcilable."

Lewis declined to say who the board member was, although emails obtained by The Oklahoman via the Oklahoma Open Records Act indicated an increasing level of disagreement over the last few months between McDaniel and board leaders, including Lewis and vice chair Lori Bowman, especially concerning issues regarding charter schools sponsored by the district. In one email, Lewis told McDaniel, “It is my belief that the board wants to be in alignment with you. It is also my belief that this board will not value alignment over their responsibility to their communities.”

Mentioning the open-records request, Lewis said, “(T)here’s been all kinds of things that show that we were asking these kind of questions, exactly what we wanted. We’ve done a great job. Dr. McDaniel has been here six years. The average urban superintendency is three years and when he was hired it was 18 months. So regardless of what the resignation letter said, this district is in a better place because Dr. McDaniel came and it’s in a great place because of the quality of the board we have.”

Lewis: OKC school board has 'a good reputation'

She said she didn’t think potential candidates for the job might have second thoughts after what happened with McDaniel.

“I honestly don’t think so,” Lewis said. “This board is considered one of the highest-functioning boards in Oklahoma. We have a good reputation for that. We have not been in the news, as you all know, until this most recent last two or three weeks. The district is moving in the right direction. Kids are learning to read in third grade. Our letter grades are coming up on the state report card. Oklahoma City is a great place to be. It’s a great place to live. It’s a great place to put your kids. I have kids in the district, so no, I don’t think the board will be an issue.”

Stephanie Hyder, the OSSBA’s director of strategic initiatives and executive search services, led the meeting, which also included the OSSBA’s executive director, Shawn Hime, and Christy Watson, its director of communications and marketing. Board members were asked to write down qualities they wanted in the new superintendent onto sticky notes and sort them into groups with labels such as leadership characteristics, experience, education, communication, community/stakeholder engagement, shared leadership, innovation, finance and student outcomes.

Hyder told board members the OSSBA would turn the information it received from board members during the exercises on Tuesday into a rubric that could be used to help screen potential candidates.

She advised board members to “be fluid” and flexible on their timeline for hiring.

“The process is complex, it can feel kind of big, but we’re going to take it in little pieces,” Hyder said.

The district is in the midst of a stakeholder survey that will last until April 5. The application period for the job began March 12 and will run until April 12. Hime said the OSSBA already has received interest in the position from people in Kansas and Texas. When OKCPS board member Juan Lecona asked if there had been any applications from within the district, Hime said that information would be in the application portal maintained by the OSSBA.

Hyder said the goal is to review applications for the job by April 15 and begin the first round of interviews with potential candidates the week of April 22. After that, due diligence screening would be performed on the finalists and a second round of interviews would be held the week of May 6.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKCPS board chair says McDaniel's sudden departure won't affect search