Overview
With the upcoming retirement of Superintendent Dr. Ken Wallace at the conclusion of the 2023-24 school year, a comprehensive search for the next Superintendent is underway. The Board of Education recognizes that the selection of a Superintendent of Schools is its most important responsibility for the students, staff, families, and other stakeholders of our school district community. The Board of Education is committed to a search process that is transparent and collaborative with input from all school district stakeholders.
Stakeholder Input Forums
The search firm will host open forums for parents, community members and students to provide feedback to help develop a profile of what is most important in the next superintendent.
There are three sessions that any student, parent and/or community member are welcome to attend.
Maine East – 6:30 p.m. on October 3 in the cafeteria.
Maine South – 6:30 p.m. on October 2 in the library.
Maine West – 6:30 p.m. on October 3 in the lower commons.
Surveys
In addition, a survey will be shared with students, parents and community members to provide feedback.
When dates and times are set for these opportunities they will be shared with stakeholders and posted on this webpage.
Forums and surveys are also being provided for staff members.
Search Firm
The Board of Education voted to hire the search firm School Exec Connect to facilitate the process to hire the next District 207 superintendent on Aug. 7. That vote followed the Board’s interviews of four search firms during a special meeting on Aug. 2.
The decision on who to hire as the next superintendent is the role of the Board of Education. The role of the search firm is to help ensure there is a strong candidate pool, as well as provide opportunities for stakeholders to provide input to the Board to assist the Board in identifying the qualities, skills and experiences they are seeking in the next superintendent.
Timeline
A timeline of key events has been created by the search firm.
Superintendent Candidates
Candidates for the superintendent position are encouraged to apply for the leadership role.
MESSAGE SENT TO PARENTS AND COMMUNITY ON AUGUST 24, 2023
During a special meeting on August 21, the Board of Education in open session discussed details related to the superintendent search process with the search firm School Exec Connect.
A key discussion was opportunities for stakeholder groups (staff, students, parents, community members) to provide input into the creation of a superintendent profile. That engagement is planned for early October. As details around those opportunities are finalized, those will be shared with parents and community. Feedback from stakeholders will be used to develop a superintendent profile that will be used to help identify the most qualified candidates for the position.
The search timeline also was discussed and while some details could change, this document outlines the timeline that is planned for the search.
In order to attract the most qualified candidates for the position, the Board accepted School Exec Connect’s recommendation to hold a confidential search process. Most superintendent searches are confidential searches, which means the candidates will not be identified publicly until the final stage of the process. This provides candidates the ability to apply for the position without their current school district knowing they have applied for the District 207 superintendent job. Without a confidential search, it is possible some high quality candidates might not apply.
MESSAGE SENT TO PARENTS AND COMMUNITY ON AUGUST 8, 2023
During its August 7 meeting, the Board of Education voted to hire the search firm School Exec Connect to facilitate the process to hire the next District 207 superintendent. That vote follows the Board’s interviews of four search firms during a special meeting on Aug. 2.
The decision on who to hire as the next superintendent is the role of the Board of Education. The role of the search firm is to help ensure there is a strong candidate pool, as well as provide opportunities for stakeholders to provide input to the Board to assist the Board in identifying the qualities, skills and experiences they are seeking in the next superintendent.
Additional updates on the superintendent search and information about opportunities for staff, students, parent and community member feedback will be provided as the Board progresses through the search process.