Good news
– the search for a new superintendent for the Gilroy Unified
School District is off to a promising start with the hiring of
Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.
Even the process of picking this firm
– two public meetings – set a postive tone for what’s ahead.
Good news – the search for a new superintendent for the Gilroy Unified School District is off to a promising start with the hiring of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.
Even the process of picking this firm – two public meetings – set a postive tone for what’s ahead.
Of the four search firms considered by school district trustees, HYA stood out because of its nationwide affiliation strength, it’s inclusion of non-traditional candidates and its heavy emphasis on community involvement.
We hope that community involvement will include GUSD families and employees, of course, but also business leaders and families who’ve opted out of GUSD and into private or home schools.
When the search firm narrows the field of candidates to a few finalists, trustees should use caution and care. Due diligence that avoids a disaster hire is clearly worth the extra time.
The full history of each finalist counts – and character matters. Job-hopping superintendents who come into a district, create havoc and churn, and are bought out of their contracts by frustrated school boards, only to repeat the scenario at another district that fails to do enough background checking, are a serious concern.
The fact that HYA will redo its superintendent search for free if the candidate it places in GUSD’s top spot leaves within a year speaks volumes about its confidence in its process.
Finally, should the search fail to come up with a clear winner who’s absolutely the right person for the job, let’s not pick someone just to check an item off the to-do list. Trustees should exercise an abundance of patience to get the ideal superintendent.
After all, finding the right leader for our schools is a critical decision for everyone in our community – employers, homeowners, district employees and students.
GUSD is off to a good start, hopefully that portends a wonderful ending.
