Public should be involved in administrator search

Where do we go from here?

Last week, Medford School District Administrator Pat Sullivan formally announced his intention to retire at the end of the current school year.

The past 15 years have been tumultuous ones for the country, state and Medford community.

Sullivan came on board as the country was clawing its way out of the worst economic recession in most residents’ lifetimes. He led the district through the fallout of then-Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 gutting of the power of teacher’s unions. Just as things appeared to be brighter, a global pandemic shut down schools and upended the fundamental way education was delivered to students, bringing masks, mandates and an awful lot of angry people looking for someone to blame.

Throughout it all, there were building projects, referendums - both passing and failing and community-driven improvements to agriculture education, the sciences, trades and athletic fields.

In the coming months there will be plenty who will alternately sing Sullivan’s praises on achievements reached or curse his shortcomings with points of disagreement. The bigger question is what’s next?

What’s next for the school district, community and region and how do we make sure we will have a leader able to steer the district through whatever oncoming storms may be over the horizon?

This week the Medford school board began the formal process of finding Sullivan’s successor. This will be the person who will be the face of the district for years to come. The individual will be the chief executive officer of a nearly $40 million dollar a year business, with hundreds of employees and be responsible for the upkeep of hundreds of millions of dollars of buildings and infrastructure — all while being answerable to state and federal mandates, community priorities and a fiercely independent board. Oh and don’t forget, working to fulfill the mission of ensuring all students learn.

Running a school district of any size is a herculean task, which is also why it is essential to take the time and care to pick the right person for the job. As the school board begins the task of hiring a new administrator, board members would do well to follow the lead of other area districts and make the effort to involve and engage the public throughout the process.

A good place to start would be to have a public discussion on the criteria and goals of the school district in filling the position rather than having that discussion in closed session. While there is a time and place for closeddoor sessions, when it comes to selecting a person to lead the district for another generation of students and families, board members should strive to keep the process as open and transparent as possible. Ways this has been done elsewhere around the state have been to include a committee of community members in the screening process and even holding forums introducing the finalists and giving attendees opportunity to give their opinions to the board members who will do the ultimate hiring.

Beyond being the right thing to do, public involvement in the criteria setting and selection process grants whoever is selected with greater buy-in from community members. Since one of their first tasks will likely be working to sell voters on the need for investing in upgrades to the school buildings, the next administrator will need all the credibility and good will of district residents they can get.

Whether the school’s next leader is promoted internally or comes through a wide-ranging search, the end goal is to have the individual with the best combination of common sense, talents, skill and knowledge to be effective in moving the district forward for years to come.

School administrators have a unique position that can have a tremendous impact on not only the education of children, but on the overall health of the community. Board members must make every effort to include district residents in the selection process.