neil's plan for hiring a new superintendent

Superintendent Naccarato has announced that she will be retiring at the end of the 25-26 school year.  The superintendent is the only employee directly hired by the board, but all other employees are hired through the superintendent and their staff; so, finding the right person is critical to having a successful school system.  In my role as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, I have put together a timeline and plan for hiring a new superintendent.

For the district to be successful, we must find a superintendent that shares our views and values in education.  They also must be a person that the board can work with and trust.  For me, I am looking for an experienced educational leader with conservative values that has a servant's heart.

We also need to make sure that the person we hire fits in well with our community.  To that end, the community will be intimately involved with the hiring of our superintendent through various public forums, surveys and events.

The following timeline is a work-in-progress and will be adjusted as the new Board of Trustees finalizes the plan.

• February 2026: board workshop to develop a list of qualifications for who they want to find and hire.
• April 2026: community forum on qualifications for who the community wants to find and hire.
• June 30th, 2026: Superintendent Naccarato's last day.
• July 1st, 2026: Interim Superintendent assumes office.
• November 2026: Superintendent vacancy posted.
• January 2027: Board review of applications.
• February 2027: Board interviews applicants.
• March 2027: Community forum with top applicants, student forum, & parents survey.
• April 2027: Board conducts final interviews and makes selection.
• June 30th, 2027: Interim Superintendent retires.
• July 1st, 2027: New Superintendent takes office.

Ideally, we wouldn't need an interim, but it comes down to timing.  If we were to hire a new superintendent this school year, we would need to start the process right now and the process would carry over to a brand-new Board of Trustees.  This puts the new Board in a position of making a hiring decision without the benefit of being involved in the process from the very beginning.  By using an interim superintendent, we are able to have the new Board of Trustees conduct the entire hiring process.