The Gilroy School Board should depart from the business as
ususal practice of simply hiring an educational search firm
Finding a dynamic new superintendent for the Gilroy Unified School District won’t be an easy task.
The traditional pool from which talent is drawn is incestuous, rife with educrats and more often than not bereft of creativity.
The good news is that Gilroy has a newly elected school board which should have plenty of energy and a clear notion about what’s needed to continue the significant progress that lame-duck Superintendent Edwin Diaz has made.
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Diaz appears to be ready to leave his hometown mid-year, but that is the reality the school board and this community must face.
Appointing an interim superintendent will be an important first step. Sam Bozzo, recently retired from the Monterey County Office of Education, would be an example of a wonderful choice. Gilroy will need someone local who won’t change the world, but will be able to make sure the structure currently in place doesn’t come apart at the seams. It becomes especially important given the upheaval within the second tier of GUSD management as assistant superintendents have left or are leaving.
A good hire in the interim slot will also allow the board to be patient and creative as they launch the search. It’s fortuitous that Tom Bundros, an IBM executive, is Board president. Mr. Bundros is in the right place at the right time because what Gilroy needs to do is to expand the traditional boundaries of the search.
In addition to asking the community for input regarding the job description, the Board should strongly consider alternatives to the standard practice of simply hiring an educational search firm. Perhaps an audience with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group would be productive, or a session with the Chamber of Commerce Board. We need fresh ideas.
Advertising in non-traditional arenas might yield a dynamic candidate as well. At the very least, a parallel effort involving traditional and non-traditional search methods should be discussed openly and taken under serious consideration.
The dynamics of public educational improvement are so complex that only a leader with problem-solving skills, determination and charisma will be able to move GUSD forward.
Let’s make sure Gilroy gets every opportunity to get the right person in the top job.
