Community focus groups help shape PSD candidate search

The search for a new superintendent for the Peninsula School District is ongoing, as candidate applications are beginning to trickle in before the Feb. 23 deadline.

Community feedback on candidate qualifications was recently sought in the form of an online survey and focus groups by Northwest Leadership Associates, the search firm hired to assist in hiring a superintendent.

Firm representatives Mark Venn and Dr. Wayne Robertson updated the school board on the search in a special session held Feb. 11 before the regular board meeting.

Venn and Robertson presented the board with the results of the focus groups the firm held Jan 25 and 26 in the Gig Harbor community.

The representatives met with more than 30 groups including high school ASB leaders, parents, teachers, local politicians, business owners and school district staff to identify what qualities the community thought was important in a future superintendent.

The online survey provided by the district for feedback about desired candidate qualifications had 330 participants, Venn said.

“(There were) a lot of different opportunities to be involved,” Venn said of the community input. “You’ve done a very nice job of being transparent and providing plenty of opportunity for interaction (from the community).”

According to the representatives, the focus group participants were asked three questions to help identify the qualities they thought were important in a superintendent.

The questions were:

▪ What’s working? What are you proud of?

▪ What are the challenges that you see/perceive or realistically see happening?

▪ What are the attributes? What kind of superintendent do you want to see?

Venn said that the firm compiled the results of the focus group into “common threads” — topics that came up four to five times or more with the different groups.

“This cannot be attributed to one group,” Venn said. “This is the overall picture.”

The question most participants wanted to begin with was the third question, outlining the desired attributes of a future superintendent.

The focus groups want a superintendent who is involved with the district and visible in the community, an advocate who values and works to promote partnerships between parents, the schools and the community, Venn said.

Other qualities include someone who can work with a guide the school board, a proactive team builder with a sense of humor, clear vision and expectation and has experience passing school levies and bonds.

An attribute that was frequently mentioned, Venn said, was “somebody who understands the two peninsulas.”

The focus groups were also clear about the challenges they perceived a new superintendent would face, he said.

Some of these challenges include building trust and improving partnerships between the community and the school district, improving district morale and meeting federal mandates.

The passing of capital budgets and levies was also an area of concern to the focus group participants, Robertson said, as is the anti-tax sentiment and the number of retirees in the community — 70 percent of community voters do not have children in the district, the firm reported.

Other concerns revolve around the unique demographics — including social and economic differences — of the district which spans across two peninsulas and the conditions of the school facilities, specifically overcrowding concerns.

Robertson also mentioned that a specific challenge the groups saw for a future superintendent was the relatively new and unproven nature of the school board, many of whom are still learning their role in the operation of the district.

The first question — what’s working in the district and what are you proud of — had the most responses, according to both Venn and Robertson.

Common responses included a good district with potential, a focus on student learning and education in the community and a high level of volunteerism in the schools.

Venn said that praise for teachers was mentioned in every group, and the community support for the schools was also apparent.

“You want to get as much input as you can and be as transparent as you can,” Venn said. “I would say the strength you have is in the diversity in your community... (We’ve received) more input in this district than any district we’ve worked in before.”

“I think the level of input shows that people care,” Robertson added.

With these “common threads” in mind, the firm is gathering applications for the superintendent position until the application closing date.

There are currently three applicants for the position — one a former superintendent, one a current superintendent and one an assistant superintendent — all from within Washington state.

The firm has received about 25 inquiries from candidates interested in the position and requesting more information; they expect more applications to be submitted right before the deadline at the end of the month.

“We think the applicant pool is shaping up nicely,” Robertson said

He added that the superintendent position is considered desirable to applicants because of the reputation for the quality of life in the district. The firm will present a screening report of the candidates to the school board on Feb. 29, at which point semifinalists for the position will be chosen.

The new superintendent is expected to begin July 1, after meeting the community and staff through the spring.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Community focus groups help shape PSD candidate search."