The Gary School Board hopes to hire a new superintendent before the end of the school year. But before the superintendent search begins, board members are busy searching for a search firm.
Board member Dr. Danita Johnson is leading the search committee. She told the rest of the school board Tuesday that they'd interviewed three firms, with another interview scheduled for Wednesday. They hope to select one in December, with the superintendent search to start in January. Johnson said board members are looking not only at how firms plan to identify and screen candidates, but also how they'd involve the community, "in helping us to identify where you would like the schools district going, what would you like to see happening in your school district."
The school board hopes to identify a new superintendent in the spring, so that person would have a chance to get to know administrators, teachers and students, before taking over next school year.
Local residents shared their ideas on the process during the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting. Christine Sass warned against picking someone just because they're local, someone who just got their degree or someone who hasn't gotten a degree in decades.
"It's a really tough job, and I think you're going to have a hell of a time finding somebody who wants to do it," Sass told board members.
For now, the Gary Community School Corporation is managed by MGT Consulting under the oversight of the state's Distressed Unit Appeal Board. The school board could take full control next July.
