By Adam Stewart
Hutchinson Tribune Staff
HUTCHINSON—The Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education reaffirmed during its Monday meeting that it favors an open format for interviews with superintendent candidates as it prepares to select a successor for Superintendent Dawn Johnson.
One potential candidate asked whether interviews would be “open,” with finalists publicly announced and meeting with district employees and the public, or closed, said Chad Higgins of ESSDACK, which is assisting the district with the search. Higgins said that districts occasionally conduct closed interviews if they think they would get candidates who don’t want it publicly known that they are applying for jobs.
ESSDACK Executive Director Shiloh Vincent said that, despite the potential candidate’s inquiry, ESSDACK still recommended an open interview format, which board members agreed with. Higgins added that the person who inquired may still apply in an open format, as well.
Higgins said ESSDACK anticipates the district will get 12 to 15 applicants. He said USD 308’s large size and desired qualifications means the pool of likely candidates is smaller than for school districts with 1A or 2A high schools. The Andover and Junction City school districts are the two other large districts in Kansas currently planning superintendent searches, he said.
Higgins said the window for applications closes Oct. 30, and ESSDACK hopes to have recommendations for finalists to the board around Nov. 5, anticipating the board will select finalists at its Nov. 9 meeting and schedule interviews sometime between Nov. 11 and 19.
Higgins recommended the board plan on interviewing between three and five finalists, either one or two per day.
Board President Lance Patterson asked what effect the results of the $36 million school bond question on the Nov. 3 ballot may have on the superintendent search.
“They’re evaluating your community, and they’re evaluating the context of what they could potentially be coming into, so those that are interested are going to know full well that there’s a possibility one way or another,” Vincent said.
He said that candidates will be interested in a community that supports its schools and would prefer a “yes” result on the bond election.
“Leaders aren’t afraid of challenges,” Higgins said, adding that every school district has something that it is dealing with.
Public comment
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Allen STEM Magnet School music teacher Elizabeth Cruz read a letter from a sixth-grade student’s mother who was unable to attend the meeting. The letter said that the student loved school before this year and was excited to attend a STEM magnet school but now hates going to school. The letter said that the school has many students with behavioral issues disrupting the writer’s student’s learning opportunities.
The letter asked why, if the class had problems with student behavior, the school added more students to the class as it moved to sixth grade and didn’t split the class to separate behaviors.
Executive session
The board met in closed executive session for 70 minutes: 45 with the ESSDACK representatives and 25 minutes with Johnson and Deputy Superintendent Krystal Young, all to discuss personnel matters.
On return to open session the board voted to issue a notice of intent to terminate Amanda Beadle “for reasons pertaining to Title IX and to allow her due process rights,” then approved the personnel report. Johnson said Beadle is a high school athletic trainer.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, at the USD 308 Administration Center.