BY ANITA TODD, Special Articles
* Editor’s Note: Daily Ridge will post the members of the Superintendent Search Committee as soon as they are made public.
LAKE WALES – The Lake Wales Charter School Board of Trustees held a scheduled meeting on Feb. 24 at Lake Wales High School.
During the Work Session, Dr. Lynn Johnson, Chair of the Superintendent Search Committee, announced the process of finding a new leader for the System. Johnson hand-selected a group of seven to comprise the Selection Committee members. The members include Johnson; a current elementary school principal; a current middle or high school principal; two teacher representatives; a parent representative; and a community representative. LaQuanda Burroughs, LWCS Human Resources Director, will oversee the process under the Sunshine Law.
According to Johnson’s timeline, the committee will meet for the first time in the week of March 3. She said she would train the group on being objective during the evaluation process and how to use the scoring method. The scoring method and blind reviews will be used to prevent bias, she said.
“We have to assess people based on merit. We have toassess people based on qualifications. We have to assess people based on experience,” Johnsons said.
The job listing will be posted by March 17 for 15 days.
After the “weeding out” process – a period when the committee scores each candidate based on their submitted credentials without any identifying information – the group will come together to recommend the top 10 candidates to the Board. Those 10 will then be interviewed by the Board of Trustees – by the Board as a group and one-on-one -which should be completed by the week of April 28.
The Board of Trustees will then recommend the top five and then the top three with a final decision by May 19.
“Hopefully, the offering (to the Superintendent for the position) could happen before the end of the school year,” Johnson said. “I hope that you trust that I can lead this process in a way that can get us the best person that will truly lead this system.”
The proposed committee members will receive an email from Dr. Johnson today (Feb.25). Once their acceptance is given, the members’ names will be made public.
Dr. Johnson was selected by Danny Gill, Chair of the Board of Trustees, to act as the Chair of the Superintendent Selection Committee. He also asked her to recommend how the process will be conducted.
However, at least two Trustees questioned the decision of her choosing the selection committee entirely on her own.
“I’d like to have some input on that – just to submit some names,” said Andy Blair, Trustee.
Dr. Johnson explained why she alone chose the committee members.
“There are concerns that people on the board would want people on the committee who they want on the committee to help sway the process,” Dr. Johnson said.
Brian Marbutt, Trustee, disagreed.
“I have the exact opposite concern. We have one board member picking the committee and the rest of the board has no say,” Marbutt said. “I would prefer to have a representative on the committee for each board member …. Versus having one board member pick the committee. One vote cannot sway the entire committee. If it’s all Sunshine then you know there should be no issues there from that standpoint. I stand with Andy on possibly figuring out a little different makeup of the committee.”
However, neither Blair nor Marbutt’s objections were addressed by the Board.
The next Board meeting will be held March 10.
