What is the community looking for in their next school superintendent? Well, according to a candidate profile created as part of the community assessment, they want a strong, passionate leader possessing a host of qualities.
The profile, created by the Michigan Leadership Institute, a firm the Lake Orion School Board hired to complete the assessment, was presented at a special meeting, last week.
According Michigan Leadership Institute Regional President Dr. Michael Wilmot, the community wants a ‘visionary leader with the ability to engage all stakeholders … dedication to educational excellence and the success of all students, exemplifies the highest level of personal and professional ethics, personal integrity and trust…? and among the more concrete requirements, a ‘minimum of a Master’s degree plus 30 hours in an appropriate, related field preferred.?
This list of qualities was compiled after Wilmot and his colleagues held various meetings with district ‘stakeholders,? such as staff, administration, parents, and educational organizations, to name a few. Every input was recorded and submitted to the board, as well as the candidate profile.
‘It’s everything you might have expected and in some cases, maybe even more,? Wilmot said of the list, noting that participation in the assessment was ‘significantly higher than what we would expect to see in southeast Michigan.?
‘I think this is a pretty extensive list,? he added. ‘You are not likely to find a person that hits 100-percent on everything. Clearly, you are looking for the best fit.?
According to Wilmot, the stakeholders also expressed that they want ‘continuity in the role? and want the new superintendent to be interested in making a long term committment to the district.
The board will meet with Wilmot again on April 24, after having individually reviewed the feedback they have received, where he will assist them in developing questions to be asked during the superintendent interview process.
The board must also make decisions in terms of looking internally or externally (or both), and in terms of what the stakeholders want, Wilmot told them that ’employees (as a majority) favored very strongly doing an internal search,? while others were open to both an internal and external search to look for the best candidate possible.
As the board holds their next meeting and figures out their next steps, Lake Orion School Board President Jim Weidman said the board will move forward in timely fashion.
‘We appreciate all the groups that participated in this,? Weidman said in terms of the assessment. ‘We don’t want to operate in a vacuum.?
‘We will look forward to moving swiftly on this,? he added.
Look in upcoming issues of The Review as we will continue to cover the progress on the search for Lake Orion’s next superintendent.