coen Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Proceedings of the Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for Superintendent Search School District No. 2, Yellowstone County High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County Billings, Montana December 21, 2009 CALL TO ORDER Trustee Chair Joel Guthals called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. on Monday, December 21, 2009 in Room 213 of the Lincoln Center. Committee members in attendance were Trustees Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, Barbara Bryan, Teresa Stroebe (alternate). Also in attendance were Trustee Peter Gesuale, Trustee Joyce Weber, Jeffrey Greenfield, BEA President. COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC Chair Joel invited communication from the public on issues related to Ad Hoc Sub-Committee for Superintendent Search. BEA president Jeff Greenfield noted that he submitted to Joel Guthals prior to the meeting written input for agenda items that will be discussed. He also requested an opportunity to have input on agenda items as they came up. The Chair agreed to this request. NOTICE AND ADVERTISEMENT OF POSITION As stated by Chair Guthals, the purpose of meeting was to finalize items related to the superintendent search process. The Chair clarified that this committee is not doing the search, but rather is doing tasks in support of the search, such as developing supplemental questions for candidates. The search process will include: - Vetting of applications by the MTSBA to weed out unqualified candidate - Board review and ranking of applications in executive session to select finalists - Finalists invited to Billings to meet with stakeholders, including the Board, public, and employee unions Forums for consideration of finalists will include public reception(s), focus groups, and formal meeting of the Board. At the latter, candidates will make brief presentations to the board and will answer questions posed by Board members. The Board will then deliberate in public and make a decision on who will be offered the position. Joel Guthals asked members to review and discuss the proposed timeline, who MTSBA will advertise with, proposed advertisement, and application packet provided by MTSBA. Teresa Stroebe asked if the search for the superintendent has been advertised. Joel Guthals stated it has not been formally advertised. Barbara Bryan asked if the focus groups will be scheduled on week nights or weekends. According to the proposed timeline by MTSBA, the focus groups are scheduled on weeknights. Barbara Bryan asked about the extent of MTSBA vetting/screening. Joel Guthals stated the only vetting MTSBA will do is on criminal backgrounds. Jeff Greenfield requested that the Board consider sharing the superintendent applications with the BEA to review before the February 22/23 interview dates in Billings. He stated that it would be helpful to have access to candidate answers and work history in order to ask better questions of finalist. Joel Guthals agreed with Jeff Greenfield and will figure out how to provide such information with violating candidate privacy expectations. Barb Bryan made the following motion with a second by Teresa Stroebe: Motion to approve the proposed timeline presented in the agenda. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. Joel Guthals reviewed who MTSBA will advertise with. Joel Guthals noted the Board has already approved this list. Barbara Bryan made the following motion with a second by Teresa Stroebe: Motion to approve who MTSBA will advertise with as presented in the agenda. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. Joel Guthals asked members to read the proposed advertisement. Barbara Bryan made the following motion with a second by Teresa Stroebe: Motion to approve the proposed advertisement presented in the agenda. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. Joel Guthals reviewed the Application Packet/About Billings information that will be sent to applicants. The committee agreed that applications must be received by February 4, 2010 in order to be considered. Barbara Bryan asked if the statement regarding candidates not contacting the District directly is protocol. Joel Guthals stated that it is a MTSBA recommendation. Jeff Greenfield suggested that it is standard and there is no restriction. Barbara Bryan made the following motion seconded by Mary Jo Fox: Motion to approve the Application Packet/About Billings presented in the agenda with the insertion of the deadline of February 4, 2010. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS With the committee, Chair Joel Guthals went through pages 7-16.the instructions and application form Barbara Bryan made the following motion with a second by Mary Jo Fox: Motion to approve pages 7-16 of the superintendent application instruction and information. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. Joel Guthals noted that he received Jeff Greenfields suggested revisions of the MTSBA supplemental questions for the application. Joel Guthals read the 12 supplemental questions provided by MTSBA. Jeff Greenfield proposed a number of changes, and Trustee Bryan also had reviewed the questions and had suggestions. Barbara Bryan made the following motion with a second by Teresa Stroebe: Motion to limit the number of supplemental questions to six. Mary Jo Fox suggested that the questions not be limited. The group agreed that it was more important to ask the right questions than to have a specific number of questions, although all agreed that the number of questions should be kept in check. Motion did not carry. Teresa Stroebe made a motion to narrow the questions and incorporate Jeff Greenfield and Barbara Bryans concerns/suggestions. Hearing no second the motion failed. Barbara Bryan suggested that if questions are too broad you cannot get answers that you can compare from candidate to candidate. Jeff Greenfield suggested the questions be open enough so that you can see where a candidate thinks and were there focus is. So it was agreed that we need to strike a balance here in terms of content. Members discussed combining commonalities of questions into one question, consensus to narrow the supplemental questions down to fewer questions, and adding changes such as those suggested by Jeff and Barb. Mary Jo Fox and members discussed incorporating Adult Education and Indian Education for All into a question for candidate input. Members and Jeff Greenfield discussed how to incorporate such issues as socio-economics issues, cultural and ethic issues, and the communitys diverse population into the supplemental questions. Joel Guthals suggested that the question regarding, why do you want to be our superintendent and what qualities would you bring to the District can be answered in the candidates cover letter. Barbara Bryan made the following motion with a second by Teresa Stroebe: Motion that in the cover letter candidates explain 1) their interest in becoming the Billings School District 2 superintendent and 2) the qualities they would bring to the position. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. After much discussion, these motions to approve the six supplemental questions were unanimously approved by Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. Motion to approve the following supplemental question number one (motion made by Barbara Bryan and seconded by Teresa Stroebe): 1. How do you define leadership? What are the key sources of leadership within a school district? What steps are important to developing and sustaining school district leaders for achieving desired operational and educational outcomes. Also, acknowledging that school district management is not a one-person job, what is your experience in and philosophy of empowering those around you? Motion to approve the following supplemental question number two (motion made by Barbara Bryan and seconded by Teresa Stroebe): 2. What relationships with people and organizations within the community are critical for building support for schools? What are the most effective ways to build and sustain such relationships, and who should be responsible for these efforts? Motion to approve the following supplemental question number three (motion made by Teresa Stroebe and seconded by Barbara Bryan): 3. Billings has a diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic population with a broad span of interests in local educational efforts. How would you reach out to different constituencies, both within the school system and throughout the community, to help foster quality education and higher student achievement? Motion to approve the following supplemental question number four (motion made by Barb Bryan and seconded by Teresa Stroebe): 4. What are your ideas for working with staff and unions for developing and evaluating accountability for student learning? What do you feel are the keys to hiring, developing, and evaluating high-performing staff within limited budgets? Motion to approve the following supplemental question number five (motion made by Mary Jo Box and seconded by Barbara Bryan): 5. What is your knowledge of and experience with collective bargaining? What do you view as keys to successful bargaining and union relations? Motion to approve the following supplemental question number six (motion made by Barbara Bryan and seconded by Teresa Stroebe): 6. What is your knowledge of and experience with developing a school district budget? What do you think are the keys to successfully transitioning and focusing budget priorities to reflect limited resources and student educational needs the 21st century? Chair Guthals stated that he will give the approved supplemental questions to Bob Vogel of MTSBA for inclusion in the superintendent application. Trustee Gesuale stated that he felt the supplemental questions developed by the group were excellent and will no doubt be used in the future by MTSBA as they help other districts with their superintendent searches. PUBLIC SURVEY Teresa Stroebe made the following motion seconded by Mary Jo Fox: Motion to approve the public survey as presented in the agenda. Those voting in favor were Barbara Bryan, Joel Guthals, Mary Jo Fox, and Teresa Stroebe. The motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Joel Guthals suggested due to members not having a chance to read the minutes, approval of the December 1, 2009 minutes will be put on the next agenda. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business Joel Guthals adjourned the meeting at 9:08 p.m. Joel Guthals, Chair Brenda Cross, Recorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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