Super search moves forward

By LISA SIMPSON STRANGE

GLASGOW — The sixth member of the screening committee for a new superintendent in the Glasgow School District was chosen from a list of publicly submitted nominees Tuesday night by the PTO presidents of Highland and South Green elementaries.

Parent member, Keith Ponder, publisher of the Glasgow Daily Times, will join classified staff member, Sue Furlong, district director of finance; certified staff members, Mike Harris, assistant principal of Glasgow High School, and Chad Muhlenkamp, curriculum facilitator for Highland Elementary; Bill Philbeck, principal of South Green Elementary; and Dr. Amelia Kiser, local physician and school board member.

Because none of these six members qualify as a minority representative following the guidelines of Kentucky Revised Statute 160.352, an additional election will be conducted to choose a seventh member from nominated minority parents during a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Glasgow High School.

The minority parent will be elected by the parents of the Glasgow Independent Schools, according to a press release from Phil Eason, senior educational consultant with Leadership Strategies Group, the firm hired by the school board to facilitate the search process for a new superintendent. Any qualified individual may nominate themselves or another minority parent. Those nominated must be present at the meeting to accept the nomination. Each person nominated will be given up to three minutes to address attendees. Parents must be present at the meeting to vote.

“Every parent can vote. They don’t have to be a minority. But to serve, they must be a minority,” Eason explained.

Minority groups include those of African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American ethnicities, as well as other groups.

After the seventh member is elected Tuesday night, the screening committee will meet at least twice to familiarize themselves with the background information of all potential superintendent applicants.

The responsibility of the committee will be to review the qualifications of candidates for the superintendent position in the Glasgow district, according to Eason. The committee members will then give their recommendations to the school board whose members will make the final hiring decision.

The deadline for superintendent candidate applications to be submitted online to the office of Leadership Strategies Group, www.leadershipstrategies.com, is March 2, according to a timeline released by Eason in January. The tentative date for screening committee members to complete their reviews and recommend finalists to the board of education is March 18.

The timeline stipulates the school board will begin interviewing finalist candidates on April 12 and the appointment of a new superintendent should be completed by April 19. All dates on the timeline are tentative contingent upon weather and any other unforeseen factors.

Eason also scheduled a forum last Thursday night in the high school library to receive input from members of the public about what qualities they want to see in their next superintendent. No representatives from the community attended the meeting, but the consultant said that didn’t necessarily indicate parents are uninvolved in the process.

“I don’t take tonight as a negative,” he said. “I think people are interested. I think it is a vote of confidence (from members of the community that) we’re going the right way.”

Copies of a public survey on superintendent qualifications were available at the forum Thursday and Eason planned for them to be completed and returned that night. Because of the lack of attendance, the deadline for survey submissions has been extended until the upcoming parent meeting on Tuesday night. A list of survey questions is included in an information box at the end of this story. Surveys for district employees were made available to be filled out at the schools and the deadline for their submission was Friday.

“It’s important to get a sense of what the community wants,” Eason said. That includes parents, teachers, administrators, board members and other Glasgow residents.

The consultant said any parent who needs additional information or wants to make comments should feel free to contact him personally.

“The board wants as much input as possible before they make their decision,” he said. “They understand the importance of community input in the process. ... Things just don’t work in isolation. Regardless of the issue, I’ve seen the community is interested and concerned.”

Eason will also have a training session with the school board next Thursday to help members decide on what criteria the screening committee will use in reviewing superintendent applications.

“My responsibility is to know what the expectations are and to work in partnership with the school system and community (to select the right person for the job),” he said. “I want the superintendent to be successful here – someone who enjoys being part of the community.”

Direct any questions to Eason, with Leadership Strategies Group, at peason@leadershipstrategies.com or call (270) 799-1256 or (270) 781-1336.

Additional information can be found at the group’s Web site at www.leadershipstrategies.com.

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