Leadership Profile – Superintendent
Las Características de Liderazgo (español)
School Board Press Release Feb 11, 2013
Superintendent Finalist Announced – Press Release, April 19, 2013 (En español)
Update May 22: School Board Appoints Dr. Donald Evans, Superintendent of Schools
Update May 2: Final Stages of Hiring
Following a site visit to Hayward, the School Board voted to begin contract negotiations with Dr. Donald Evans. The full update is here.
Update April 19: Board Announces Superintendent Finalist
Dr. Donald Evans was announced as the finalist for the Superintendent position. The candidate comes with 26 years of experience in California schools (San Diego, Oakland, East Palo Alto, Compton, and Hayward). He has been a teacher, a principal, an assistant superintendent and a superintendent, and has an extensive record of working collaboratively to bring strategies for success for all students.
You can read the announcement and a brief bio of Dr. Evans here.
Update March 29: Board Begins Screening and Interviews for Next SuperintendentThe Board is moving forward to screen, interview, and hire the District’s next superintendent. The search firm and School Board previously reviewed the community input on screening characteristics and interview questions. There were many suggestions pertaining to qualities in instructional leadership, administrative capacities, and communication skills, as well as specific issues relating to the strengths and challenges of our district. The Board has incorporated the feedback into its selection and interview process.
Applications for the position of Superintendent closed on March 15. Here is a summary of what has taken place so far:
There were 241 individuals who responded or were contacted by Ray and Associates, Inc. regarding the vacancy. The geographic breakdown of the 241 contacts was as follows:
Alabama (2) Arkansas (2) Arizona (8) California (53) Colorado (7) Connecticut (2) Florida (11) Georgia (7) Idaho (3) Iowa (3) Illinois (12) Kansas (2) Kentucky (2) Louisiana (4) Massachusetts (7) Maryland (4) Michigan (12) Minnesota (3) Missouri (3) Mississippi (5) Montana (1) North Carolina (3) Nevada (2) Nebraska (2) New Hampshire (1) New Jersey (4) New Mexico (4) New York (6) Ohio (7) Oklahoma (2) Oregon (3) Pennsylvania (13) Rhode Island (1) South Carolina (4) Tennessee (3) Texas (11) Utah (2) Virginia (4) Washington (4) Wisconsin (7) Armed Forces (1) Other Countries (3)
Out of the 241 contacts, 70 candidates completed the application.
The 70 applicants were evaluated and screened based on administrative experience and a good academic background.
The 70 applicants were then evaluated based on the qualities and criteria determined by the board of education and printed in the district brochure. Each file was also reviewed for other special experience.
Ray & Associates conducted a comprehensive interview with each of the top applicants.
Ray & Associates conducted a thorough investigation of each top applicant by contacting references, state officials, other school administrators and individuals who knew the applicant.
Ray & Associates presented the Board with a list of 10 applicants that Ray & Associates recommended the Board interview.
The Board considered the 10 applicants that Ray & Associates recommended as well as an additional 10 applicants. The Board ultimately chose 6 semi-finalists to advance to the interview stage.
Interviews with the 6 semi-finalists take place on March 27 and March 30; finalist interviews and candidate vetting will be taking place in April.
Superintendent Search Timeline
Community Forums/Foros comunitarios para recopilar la opinión que aporte la comunidad
- Thursday, February 28th / el jueves, 28 de febrero – Malcolm X School – 1731 Prince Street, 7-8:30 p.m.
- En español/in Spanish: Friday, March 1st / el viernes, 1 de marzo – King Middle School – 1781 Rose Street, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Saturday, March 2nd / el sábado, 2 de marzo – BUSD Administration Building, 2020 Bonar Street, Room 126, 9:30 – 11 a.m.
All forums will have English/Spanish interpretation available. En los foros se ofrece interpretación del inglés al español, o en el caso del foro que se ofrece el viernes, habrá traducción del español al inglés.
Childcare and light refreshments will be provided. Please assist us in planning by sending your RSVP to: Suptsearch@berkeley.net
Several date-specific components of the process have been set including:
- Official posting of the Superintendent position on Friday, February 8.
- Board review of a draft survey at the Board Meeting on Wednesday, February 13;
- Release of an online and paper copy of the survey Friday, February 15, closing on March 3;
- Community forums to gather input scheduled for Feb. 28, and March 1 & 2
- Screening and preliminary review of candidates based upon the results of community input in the first two weeks of March;
- Interviews of semi-finalists during the week of March 25.
Given the competitive nature of national school executive searches, the Board is committed to following this timeline to ensure the best pool of highly qualified candidates. The School Board intends to lead a transparent process with widely distributed updates and the above-mentioned opportunities for additional community input.
Ray & Associates will be using the Leadership Profile developed with substantial community input in 2012. As reflected in the profile criteria, the professionals from Ray & Associates will be searching for an instructional leader and strong communicator who is committed to the beliefs and values of the Berkeley public school community.
“The search team of Ray & Associates has an excellent track record in placing superintendents who are a great fit for their school districts, with all of their placements in California staying with their districts for long tenures,” according to School Board Director Judy Appel.
With the advice of the team from Ray & Associates and in recognition of the competitive nature of educational executive searches, the School Board has laid out a well-considered timeline and carefully outlined steps to ensure a hiring process that brings the most highly qualified pool of candidates to interview in Berkeley. The official posting of the position took place Friday, February 8, and the search will close on March 15, with the first round of Board interviews with semi-finalists during the week of March 25, and the expectation that the selection process will be completed in April.
The community will be engaged in discussions of interview questions and criteria for best-fit candidates through a survey, community forums, and several key stakeholder focus groups; this will assist the School Board and the executive search team in identifying top candidates for the District.
Director Karen Hemphill indicated her confidence in the quality of the applicants Berkeley will attract, stating, “When potential candidates get to know the strength of our teachers and commitment of our staff, and get to know the priorities of this community, we will have some very strong candidates come forward.”
It is the intent of the members of the Board to lead a transparent process, offering widely distributed updates along with the opportunities for community input. The Superintendent Search webpage will be updated regularly, and members of the community are encouraged to subscribe to the district’s biweekly email newsletter, the A+ News (subscribe on the left side of the website). The community survey will go online on February 15 in both English and Spanish, and remain open until March 3. Community forums are being scheduled for February 28, March 1 and 2, with interpretation in Spanish at all meetings.
In the meantime, interim Co-Superintendents Javetta Cleveland and Neil Smith continue to move our schools forward in support of District Goals, including increasing the academic achievement of all students, implementing strategies to engage students in their learning and interventions to eliminate barriers to student success, establishing partnerships with our families and community, ensuring that systems are culturally and linguistically responsive, and generating and equitably allocating resources for programs and services that enable every student to succeed.
- Official posting of the Superintendent position on Friday, February 8.
- Board review of a draft survey at the Board Meeting on Wednesday, February 13;
- Release of an online and paper copy of the survey Friday, February 15, closing on March 3;
- Community forums to gather input scheduled for Feb. 28, and March 1 & 2;
- Screening and preliminary review of candidates based upon the results of community input in the first two weeks of March;
- Interviews of semi-finalists during the week of March 25.
Ray & Associates Consultants and School Board Plan Berkeley's Superintendent Search
Given the competitive nature of national school executive searches, the Board is committed to following this timeline to ensure the best pool of highly qualified candidates. The School Board intends to lead a transparent process with widely distributed updates and the above-mentioned opportunities for additional community input. Regular updates will be posted on this webpage and will run in each edition of the A+ News email newsletter (subscribe in the box to the left).
Update: February 4, 2013 – Executive search firm hired
Special Board meeting to discuss timeline for recruitment and hiring process
The School Board retained the services of Ray & Associates Inc., an educational executive leadership search firm, as the primary consultant to lead the executive search for Berkeley’s next Superintendent of Schools. The Board has decided to postpone the decision about the need to hire a secondary consultant.
The Board has called a Special Meeting on Wednesday, February 6th at 7:30 p.m. to meet with the consultants to determine the timeline for the search, recruitment, and hiring process.
After the timeline is determined, an announcement will go out to the community with the timeline, including a series of community input forums, meetings, and survey opportunities.
If you would like to receive email updates on the superintendent search and other district news, please find the subscribe button in the menu to the left of this webpage and enter your email address.
Meeting Location: Berkeley Unified School District Administration Building, 2020 Bonar St. (at University Ave.), Room 126
Update: December 2012 – Request for Proposals (RFP) released
The Board has begun the process for a Superintendent Search, beginning with the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for professional search firms.
The complete Request for Proposal provides a full detailing of the information required to participate as well as contact information for the Bid Manager.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
for two
Professional Services Search Firms
for Superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District
Proposals due: 4:00 pm, PST, January 11, 2013
Eight (8) hard copies of the proposal in a sealed envelope, as well as one electronic copy, must be submitted to the bid manager no later than the time and date indicated above. Requirements for the proposal and submission information are detailed in the RFP at the link above.
Introduction
A year ago, the Board began its search for a Superintendent. Although several candidates were considered as finalists for the position, the Board ultimately elected to continue its search for a leader possessing a track record of extraordinary success. In issuing the present solicitation, the Board seeks to build upon the work done during the last search process, as well as to address concerns raised regarding community input and candidate vetting.
The Berkeley Unified School District is now seeking the assistance of two separate professional services firms in the search for its Superintendent. The scope of work is summarized below and in the RFP. We invite proposals from highly qualified, experienced firms, with a history of having conducted successful searches.
A Primary Consultant will be selected to conduct the search. The duties of this consultant will involve:
- Supporting the Board during the search;
- Engaging the community;
- Updating and revising the existing leadership profile, as needed;
- Widely advertising the vacancy; recruiting and screening applicants;
- Facilitating Board interviews of the applicants;
- Conducting extensive reference and background checks; and
- Facilitating the pre-employment process.
A Secondary Consultant will be selected to provide the Board with an independent perspective during the search. This will include conducting additional reference and background checks on applicants, and further supporting the Board to ensure that it possesses all relevant information regarding the applicants.
Scope of Work:
Primary Consultant
- Engage the board members in a methodical and synergistic process
- Meet with the Board as needed to ensure a high quality search process
- Obtain staff and community input and ensure that all stakeholders are represented
- Develop and maintain the community’s trust in the process
- Meet with the Board to refine a profile of the superintendent for our district
- Update and revise, as necessary, the existing leadership profile based on community input
- Develop a position description and strategies to recruit ideal candidates
- Advertise widely
- Actively recruit candidates who meet the profile
- Screen applicants
- Develop objective measurement tools
- Coordinate selection activities for finalists
- Assist the Board with the final interviews and employment of the new Superintendent
Secondary Consultant
- Meet with the Board as needed to ensure a high quality search process
- Conduct independent and comprehensive reference and background checks for finalists and provide report to the Board
The complete Request for Proposal provides a full detailing of the information required to participate as well as contact information for the Bid Manager.
View Board discussion and action on Superintendent Search at December 12th, 2012 Board Meeting.
Update: October 2012
The Berkeley Board of Education announced the appointment of Deputy Superintendent Javetta Cleveland and Assistant Superintendent Neil Smith as joint Interim Superintendents in August. The Board has tabled the discussion on the next step in the superintendent search until January when the new Board is in place. Meanwhile, the Co-Superintendents have agreed to continue up until June if needed. In a Board statement President John T. Selawsky said, “The Board has full confidence that Mr. Neil Smith and Ms. Javetta Cleveland, acting as Interim Co-Superintendents, are a great team to continue our academic progress until the superintendent search has been completed. Under their leadership, we will continue the significant progress the District has made on key student achievement issues and the 2020 vision.”
Meet Co-Superintendents Neil Smith and Javetta Cleveland as they address the 2020 IN ACTION event October 11th.
