Just over a week before applications are due for the superintendent position, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education approved a written description of what they are looking for in candidates.
The Board held a special meeting last week on March 29 to discuss the position description for the top post and made several changes to an initial draft.
These included adding language stating that candidates should value the “input and involvement of teachers” in decision making processes, have an “understanding of the needs of special education and English language learner students and clarifying that the board is open to ideas about new ways to improve the district.
The changes came following comments from several community members including parents and teachers who spoke at the meeting.
While Leadership Associates, the consultants hired by the district to lead the search, did meet with parent groups and teachers, Catherine Handleman, a kindergarten teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School said she felt it was insufficient and that her voice and others were not adequately heard.
“Teachers were sent one email concerning the search process and given less than a week’s notice to attend a meeting in which they could discuss and give their critical feedback for the important criteria needed in a new superintendent,” she said.
According to Handleman, the meeting lasted no more than 20 minutes, which she said was “not sufficient time for all to be heard or even really have a thoughtful discussion.”
Stefanie Mathewson, a second grade teacher at Roosevelt echoed these sentiments and added that she did not feel there had been enough communication between teachers and district leaders in the past. At the Feb. 22 board meeting she shared a letter she said had been signed by 157 of the district’s 615 teachers, asking board members to take this into account in the superintendent search process as well as several other traits they hoped to see.
“The severe lack of connection between district administration and teachers “on the ground” that existed in the previous administration is something we wish to proactively avoid in the next administration,” it stated.
Board members were responsive to these concerns and unanimously agreed to add a point about teacher involvement, but also acknowledged the limitations of what could realistically be included in the description, which was already over four pages long.
“Everything can’t be reflected as clearly as everyone wants in here…” Board member Laurie Lieberman said. “But I will say no matter what… that’s an issue that I do feel is an appropriate thing that we want to ask applicants about.”
With the application deadline around the corner Lead Consultant Peggy Lynch said that the role of the position description will largely be to inform interview questions in addition to helping recruit qualified candidates. She said they had already received 50 requests for applications for the position.
“What this helps us do and what all the input helps us do is formulate the questions that you really want to ask every candidate,” she said. “It helps you really think about ‘what are the real priorities, what are the things we really want to know about?’”
Leadership Associates will screen the applicants in accordance with the description and recommend candidates to the board that seem to be the best fit. However, Board President Maria Leon-Vasquez clarified that board members will have access to all of the applications and be able to review the materials themselves and ultimately choose who to interview.
The application deadline is April 7 by 5:00 p.m. and interviews will be scheduled for May 9 and 10.
To view the full description visit: https://www.smmusd.org/SuperintendentSearch
