If no one in the pool of finalists for the school’s superintendent job measures up to the school board’s expectations for the position, “we’ll start over and find someone who’s worthy of being here” at no extra cost, Timi Tullis told the Haines Borough school board Tuesday.
Tullis, director of membership services for the Alaska Association of School Boards, will lead the district through the hiring process. The district has agreed to pay the AASB $7,000 for the help.
Previous to the hire, the district needs to identify its priorities, what personality traits it wants in a superintendent, and a salary range it’s willing to pay, Tullis told the board. “In the next four weeks, think about what you want in a superintendent,” she said, including surveying staff and members of the public.
Tullis will return Sept. 29 to compile a list of qualities sought in the next school chief. In a timeline she laid out, the district could start reviewing applications by Jan. 11. But if the district doesn’t like the initial field of candidates, the hiring schedule could be elongated.
The district is hoping to make the hire by February, but school board members have said they’re willing to wait until July to find the right candidate.
Interim superintendent Rich Carlson this week posted on the district’s website a survey asking residents what qualities in a superintendent are most important to them.
Questions put to school staff would likely be different than that, he said.
Tullis said besides advertising the job on the association’s website, the AASB has a list of about 400 people interested in superintendent jobs in Alaska. In addition, it advertises the job with school board associations in other states.
Tullis said she has led about 12 superintendent hires in the past six years and the association helps make about five hires per year.
The AASB has connections it draws on to screen candidates, Tullis said.
“We’re able to talk to our colleagues in every state. We can call and say, ‘What do you think of this person for this job?’ We can dig a little deeper. Also, there’s a credibility that comes with an organization like ours” that another person may not get by calling out of the blue, Tullis said.
Tullis said interest in jobs like the one in Haines typically comes from candidates working at smaller districts in Alaska, as well as from the Lower 48. She said a list of 15-25 candidates would be typical for jobs like the one here.