Marion City Schools officially launched search for new permanent superintendent Monday
Due to a reporter's error regarding the district community forum, this story has been updated.
Beginning with a presentation to the Marion City Schools board Monday, K-12 Business Consulting, Inc. officially launched the search for the district's next permanent leader with an overview of the process timeline.
The firm will begin the six-step process by networking within the community to begin building a superintendent search profile. This will be compiled with information from surveys among community stakeholders, according to K-12 Consultant Debbie Campbell in the Monday briefing to the board.
While the search takes place, the district will be led by Interim Superintendent Steve Mazzi who stepped in from the Central Ohio Educational Service Center after the resignation of former Superintendent Dr. Ron Iarussi.
On Oct. 20, the search firm will hold community focus groups district-wide among students, staff and administration. Later in the evening it will hold external focus groups for Marion City leadership and community members. These findings will be presented to the board on Oct. 26.
“What we will ask those groups is what are the really great things about Marion City Schools? I heard some from Mrs. Dyer: you have great students,” Campbell explained after Board Member Tara Dyer detailed recent student achievement.
“So that is something that people who are looking for a superintendent job like, to school districts where they have wonderful students, so that will be a selling point.”
Board President Kelly Mackay said that she felt the meeting launching the process went well.
Mackay also noted there will be no board of education members at any of the focus group meetings Oct. 20, because the search firm wants to understand the genuine thoughts and reactions of each group.
“I’m very confident that we’re going to find a person who will love our district and is passionate about education. It’s difficult to be a superintendent, especially in this type of environment," Mackay said.
"We’ve gone through COVID, we’ve gone through our problems in our buildings, and to me, a leader builds. We want to find that builder of relationships and the kinds of things we want to see program-wise, developing those kinds of safe programs for our kids."
Search to conclude in January, new superintendent to begin in August
The job will be posted Nov. 1 following the community meetings, and the board hopes to make a decision by the end of January.
K-12 will organize the findings from the community research into a 13-page superintendent search profile to help identify qualities the district is looking for in its next leader, from the individual's educational priorities to his or her personality. Campbell said the firm will then take two to three months to identify great candidates, vet them and allow them time to visit Marion and the district.
From there, the board will identify candidates to interview and will be responsible for first and second round interviews, likely to be held in January. Prior to the second interview, K-12 will help organize a community meet-and-greet to meet the finalists before the board makes its decision.
According to K-12's current timeline, the new Marion City Schools superintendent will start Aug. 1, 2023. Mackay said it would be great for the district to be able to have someone begin sooner, but she understands that whoever the board selects will likely be under contract with another district until August.
Campbell explained that the waiting period is actually a step in the firm's process, providing the new superintendent the time to get acquainted with the district and its staff, board, union leadership and key community leaders prior to his or her first day on the job.
Though the past year, the board has experienced tension and disagreements that caused split votes and indecision. In an unprecedented process, Marion County Family Court Judge Fragale selected Dyer to replace former Board President Leslie Schneider due to board indecision and its choice to not take a vote to select its fifth board member.
Mackay said she hopes the board will be able to have a unanimous vote on the new district superintendent and all five board members can get behind a candidate as it is the most important job in the district.
“To me, it’s going to be really important that they have the vision and they’re positive that this is where they want to be, and I’m convinced we will find that person, and hopefully that person will get a 5-0 vote," she said.
Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 - 5243 ∣ sveneziano@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion City Schools launches search for new permanent superintendent
