12 Key Considerations for School Boards to be Mindful of When Hiring a New Superintendent
The most significant work of the board of education at a school district is selecting the Superintendent. It is an
HYA for Boards
A collaborative and clear approach to superintendent evaluation.
A proper evaluation process will strengthen your board's relationship with the superintendent.
To develop and maintain effective Board-Superintendent relations and provide the Board with an opportunity to determine what it desires to have the Superintendent achieve, goals and the evaluation process must be codified and understood with great clarity. This solution provides the instruments to receive input from individual board members and the mechanisms to efficiently complete the superintendent evaluation.
The Board and Superintendent relationship is critical to the success of the school district. The evaluative process, when done properly, ensures there is a clear understanding of expectations from both parties. The Board only evaluates one person, the Superintendent, and it delegates authority to the Superintendent to direct operations and provide leadership for the district. Thus, the evaluation process is arguably the most important work of the Board.
There is no one correct process for evaluating the superintendent. However, there must be an agreed upon process and instrument(s) for a productive and respectful relationship to exist. At HYA we have developed a process that is congruent with research on Effective Superintendents and is systematic, on-going and timely with a focus on growth and continuous improvement. Our process establishes a framework for productive discussions and provides facilitation for the Board.
Superintendent Evaluation Process
At HYA, we know that your district is unique and we understand that a comprehensive process does not meet the needs of all districts. We will work with your district to build the evaluation that best fits your needs and priorities.
Purpose
Key Beliefs
The Evaluation
HYA Support
Purpose
The purpose of the Superintendent evaluation process is two-fold. The first purpose is to provide the Superintendent with a written evaluation that provides feedback from the Board of Education regarding their performance as the chief executive officer of the school district. The second purpose is to provide information and data that will assist the Superintendent in improving their contributions to the school district. HYA facilitates the evaluation process and provides the feedback instruments.
Key Beliefs
- The evaluation process should be systematic, on-going, and timely.
- The evaluation process should be growth-oriented unless the Board of Education has any concerns with the Superintendent’s performance in the role.
- The evaluation instrument(s) should provide useful feedback for continuous improvement in key responsibilities.
- The evaluation process should include both structured measures that address key job responsibilities and open-ended instruments for sharing information and concerns.
The Evaluation
HYA provides an instrument and process to receive individual Board Member input that is reported as individual, anonymous responses. This feedback is aggregated to produce overall ratings in the four dimensions of research on effective superintendents. The report also juxtaposes the Superintendent’s self-evaluation for the same four dimensions, resulting in an efficient process and completed evaluation ready for the Superintendent’s personnel file.
HYA Support
Our HYA associates can build other services and support requested by the Board and Superintendent, such as facilitation through the HYA suggested annual evaluation process and ongoing mentoring and coaching.
Engaging in a facilitated process means the Board and Superintendent have taken the time to reflect on the district’s performance as directed by the Superintendent, ensuring the district will move forward to a greater level of student success. Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates can help.
“The process was professional, clear, accommodating, and the [HYA] consultant spoke a lot of wisdom.”
Andy Anderson
Tri-Creek School Corporation
You're in Good Company
HYA has been trusted by hundreds of districts, across the nation, to help with their superintendent evaluation.
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FAQ
A typical engagement with HYA to consult on the superintendent evaluation process runs the course of one full school year.
HYA typically facilitates a goal setting meeting with the board and superintendent to begin the evaluation process. Next, HYA facilitates a survey to receive individual board member input regarding the superintendents performance. The superintendent also submits a self-evaluation. The feedback is then aggregated to produce overall ratings and a completed evaluation, ready for the superintendent’s personnel file.
The board only evaluates one person, the superintendent. Thus, this process is the most important work of the board. HYA’s process is congruent with research on effective superintendents and is systemic, ongoing, and timely, with a focus on growth and continuous improvement.
