Superintendent Selection Process
Planning phase:
The first step was to select a search consultant. This consultant will help BSD’s Board of Directors with the process and will conduct a nationwide search for candidates.
Public engagement and announcing phase:
The next step is to determine the qualities, skills, and experiences we want in our next superintendent. This profile will be central to the screening and interview process, so engaging our community and staff is vital. This input will be used to develop a summary of an “ideal” candidate. The search firm consultants will present the initial profile during our board meeting on September 6, 2022. The board will adopt the final profile on September 21, 2022, after review and additional input from stakeholder focus groups. The district will then announce the vacancy, advertise nationally, and HCE will begin the recruitment phase.
Recruiting phase:
In hiring a search firm, school boards not only want a trusted partner who can run a process, but who can also identify and find exceptional talent – and in Bellevue’s case, to entice great leaders who match Bellevue’s criteria to consider this remarkable opportunity. HCE will activate their national networks to attract a pool of candidates that fit the adopted leadership profile, including targeted recruitment of candidates who may not be looking for the next opportunity, but because they are a unique “fit and match” for BSD.
Selection phase:
There are several steps to this phase, including preliminary interviews of top tier candidates by the search firm consultants, board consideration and deliberation of an initial slate presented by the firm, first round interviews, and finalist interviews. Finalist interviews include two components — Board interviews and stakeholder interview panels. HCE and board directors will also conduct expansive telephone reference checks, while an investigative agency will conduct comprehensive background checks. The Board anticipates deliberating to determine its preferred candidate in mid-January, 2023. Contract negotiations will then begin with a formal public announcement shortly thereafter.
Transition phase:
Although the Superintendent successor’s official start date is July 1, 2023, HCE will advise the board on transition activities which may include on-boarding days in Bellevue prior to the start date. The Board’s vision is to build a transition period for deliberate succession planning between the interim superintendent and successor superintendent rarely seen, including community and district “meet and greet” opportunities, to support BSD in the best possible way.