Seeking a superhero? L.A. school board gets advice on next superintendent
people have spoken about what they want in a new superintendent for theLos Angeles Unified School District, and the hunt for Superman or Superwoman is on.
The official verdict is that Los Angeles' students, parents, district staff, clergy and others, want a “politically savvy and experienced educational leader,” according to the search firm, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. A look at the details, however, suggests that even Kryptonite could not stop the particular paragon being sought.
The executive search firm was scheduled to present its findings at a school board meeting Tuesday, based on input gathered from surveys filled out by more than 8,000 respondents and notes compiled from more than 100 public meetings held during the last two weeks of October. About 1,200 people participated in those meetings. The nation’s second-largest school system enrolls about 650,000 students.
Superpowers would come in handy in a district facing a troubled financial outlook, threats to dismantle it and pressure to improve lagging academic performance.
“Many participants believe the position is one of the most important jobs in American educational leadership and comes at a critical point in the history of the district,” the consultants wrote in one of their reports, which are available on the district website.
The Board of Education is looking to replace Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, 83, who has said he would like to retire by the end of the year. Cortines agreed to return after John Deasy resigned under pressure a year ago.
Although board members have promised to seriously consider the community input, they and the consultants already had been thinking about who they want. And the consultants have been speaking with potential candidates for several weeks.
Nonetheless, to the extent that the feedback matters, there are some defining characteristics that could be used to frame the board’s choice. The consultants, for example, reported that an educator is favored, someone with “experience as a teacher and a principal working in an urban environment,” preferably with a doctorate from a fully accredited institution of higher learning.
This preference alone would disqualify two of the last four superintendents.
And recent holders of the office also might have trouble with L.A. Board of Education learns what to look for in their next schools chief - LA Times: