Tecumseh school district gathers residents' input on next superintendent's qualities

TECUMSEH — A profile of the ideal candidate to be the next superintendent of the Tecumseh schools is coming together.

Two public input sessions and a community survey have been completed, and the Tecumseh school board’s search consultant has met with students, faculty and staff.

At 6 p.m. today, the school board will meet in the Tecumseh High School media center to review the data and complete a candidate profile that will be added to the job posting to let prospective applicants know what the district is looking for in its next leader. The meeting is open to the public.

The board is looking for a new superintendent as the current superintendent, Rick Hilderley, prepares to retire. He expects his last day in the office will be June 7, then he will use up his remaining vacation time until his contract ends June 30. Board members have said they want to have the new superintendent hired before Hilderley departs.

Applications are being accepted until March 5. The first round of interviews is scheduled for March 16, then a second for March 19. The board could choose who it wants to hire on March 19.

The board’s search consultant, Rodney Green of the Michigan Association of School Boards, facilitated the online and in-person input sessions. At the two meetings for the public, he asked attendees — who included district residents, current and retired teachers and administrators, and board members — questions about the district’s points of pride, what challenges the district faces, where do they think the new superintendent will come from and what qualities do they want in the next superintendent.

The online session was sparsely attended, with most of the attendees being board members or current teachers or administrators. A recording can be viewed at tinyurl.com/TPSSuptOnlineInput. About 15 people attended the in-person session Monday, which had been rescheduled after the district had a snow day Jan. 23. Green said 194 people completed the online survey.

Academics and the teaching staff were two common points of pride mentioned during the meetings, with attendees citing students’ standardized test scores being comparable to wealthier districts, the district’s Advanced Placement test offerings and success particularly in math, and the high school being ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Another point of pride was the variety of things for kids to do outside of class, such as clubs and sports.

Managing the budget and the district’s upcoming downsizing from six buildings to four were two of the challenges that were listed. Other challenges mentioned included the declining student population, which affects the budget; no physical space to grow at the remaining elementary schools; possibly trying to pass a bond proposal to address building needs; retaining teachers amid a shortage of teachers generally; a lack of diversity in the community; and a lack of support from some in the community for the current board.

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The next superintendent should have teaching and administrative experience, and not just a handful of years in the classroom, according to meeting participants. Someone who is not a first-time superintendent was preferred, but there was an acknowledgement that the board would need to look into why an experienced superintendent would be looking for a new job. Green told the participants that the board may need to decide if it prefers someone who has been a superintendent at a smaller district or someone who has been a central office administrator at a larger district but not a superintendent.

Personal qualities attendees said they would like to see in the next superintendent included being straight-forward with good communication and interpersonal skills, collaborative, a transformational leader, forward-thinking, knowledgeable in school law, well-organized and prepared, and able to demonstrate an interest in kids at all age levels. The successful candidate also should be able to build relationships outside of the school district, such as with city government, as well as be able to give good and bad news, communicate to employees the expectations for their professional development, have a strong moral compass, be honest and trustworthy, have the ability to motivate others, and be a team player.

At today’s meeting, the board also will review a draft contract to be offered to its preferred candidate.

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh residents share input on next superintendent's qualities