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February 19, 2012 in City
Spokane Public Schools chief wish list outlined
Integrity, a sense of humor, honesty.
It’s not a dream date wish list. Those are just a few of the character traits community members want to see in the next Spokane Public Schools superintendent, according to recruiters.
Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates identified numerous desired characteristics for Spokane’s next schools chief after the recruiters reviewed 652 online surveys and spoke with more than 330 Spokane residents, community leaders and school employees in 32 focus groups.
Other wants include “an ability to lead others through a period of change, and commitment to personal goals.”
The ideal candidate also should be a good listener; be visible, accessible and communicative; appropriately balance centralized and decentralized approaches in addressing districtwide goals and expectations; and have a balanced, flexible, innovative approach to educational scenarios and proposals for improvement.
The next step: finding the right man or woman for the job. Recruiter Steve Humphrey thinks Spokane and its largest school district are an easy sell.
“I think it’s a great district,” Humphrey said. “The people I met are working on great things and they want to make it better. The staff wants to keep working hard and helping all students. The community wants a good school district and they want to help. And Spokane, I think it’s a place for a lot of opportunity.”
Recruiters are at the American Association of School Administrators conference in Houston this weekend, where they are talking to potential candidates for the Spokane job, Humphrey said.
“Some people I set interviews with previous to arriving,” he added. “Some people are just stopping by. A lot of our work is looking for people who we think are a good fit, and asking them if they’ve thought about Spokane.”
Typically, about two-thirds of the people considered are recruits and one-third are applicants, Humphrey said. By mid-March, recruiters will narrow down the pool to five or six semifinalists for Spokane Public Schools’ board of directors to consider.
Bob Douthitt, board president, said he’s unsure whether there will be any applicants from within Spokane Public Schools; however, “we told them (the recruiters) to treat any applicant from the district like any applicant from across the nation.”
In addition to the desired characteristics, school board members asked recruiters to look for candidates from similar-size districts with a few years of experience in administration.
School board members are still trying to decide on what salary to offer the right candidate.
Salary comparisons of superintendents in Washington, and across the nation, are being considered. Spokane’s cost of living, which is lower than that of Seattle or Tacoma, is also a factor, Douthitt said. “Because it’s a little bit more difficult to get someone to come to Spokane as compared to the Puget Sound area,” that’s part of the equation, too, he said.
“We are looking at it very carefully, with our main goal being what it will take to attract the right candidate to Spokane and not overspend,” Douthitt said.
Last but not least, the school board would like a candidate who wants to stick around a while, he said.
“Ideally someone who would expect to stay, and did stay for a long time; if they said 10 to 15 years, we’d be glad to have them. But we have to recognize that the average tenure is getting shorter and shorter.”
The finalists will be in Spokane in early April.
Spokane Public Schools avoids further cuts 
DickAdams on February 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Here they go again (pick anyone involved, no matter) to BS the taxpayers. The Spokesman Review also failed to cover the story regarding the relatively new, Lincoln Heights Elementary school, that is costing the taxpayers money that according to Administrator Mark Anderson, the guy who IMO, is a knuckle head, and was in on the decisions to build a so called green building re Lincoln Heights school. These fools decided to alter the window sizes making them all larger. Doing so, caused a much greater heat loss which changed the (no longer green) green building to spend “much more money” to heat than Mr. Lip Service Mark Anderson, and the only thing left green was, like in green backs. Another school recently built was done the old fashion conventional building way (and not a green building) that the voters were involved with, saving a huge amount of money compared to Lincoln Heights in heating costs. There is much more info the voters were not told about.
Maybe the writer, Jody Lawrence-Turner at the SR will update what the public was not told and explain why all the fanfare about a green building that is costing the taxpayers much more than we were told?
pseeger on February 19 at 10:30 a.m.
Maybe you could actually comment on the story, Dick, instead up picking up your personal ax to grind with public schools, every time, ad nauseam. I know that schools were way better back when you lived in the little house on the prairie, but still.
DickAdams on February 19 at 11:34 a.m.
Bseeger: Did you really read the story? “The story talks about “proposals for improvement”. I merely pointed out the so called improvements that district 81 recently implemented wasting taxpayer money on a project that blindfolded the public regarding the Lincoln Heights green building. Common sense would dictate increasing the size of windows was stupid and most everybody know the more windows the more cost to heat a building. If you haven`t noticed, Lowes and Home Depot stores sell and continue to advertise plastic window covering material to conserve energy. There merchandise selling the stuff has been going on for years. Because of window heat loss the stores even have material for larger size business buildings. Obviously, Mark Anderson a school administrator, doesn`t shop at either of the two stores, if he did it might brighten his dim light.
pseeger on February 19 at 11:41 a.m.
There you go again, Dick. If you’re going to insist upon beating a dead horse, please be more economical in your use of words. Less can be more. Now I’m off to Lowe’s, or perhaps Home Depot!
sju on February 19 at 4:59 p.m.
“Bob Douthitt, board president, said he’s unsure whether there will be any applicants from within Spokane Public Schools; however, ‘we told them (the recruiters) to treat any applicant from the district like any applicant from across the nation.’”
Bob Douthitt is ignorant of the level of discontent within this district - among parents and teachers - or he is in denial.
If the district hires a superintendent from within its current staff of administrators, there will be a revolution within the teaching ranks, and I suspect within the community at large.
I have listened to Director Douthitt publicly shower administrators, Tammy Campbell in particular, with praise for the work they do. He loves them, each and every one…
These are, of course, the hyper-paid administrators who shackle real teachers with ineffective curricula, micromanage teachers’ instruction of said curricula, then push programs that tie teachers’ evaluations to student outcomes - student achievement that was NEVER possible given the wacky psycho-babble-based curricula and teaching methods demanded by these same administrators…
Douthitt, and the rest of the board, should see Nancy Stowell’s departure for the blessing that it is - the blessing of a new start.
The board should start with a more reasonable pay scale throughout 200 N. Bernard St., move on by eliminating at least 50% of the staff at that building, along with area coordinators (school directors), instructional coaches, and excess assistant principals…
But, especially important, don’t start anew with a Nancy 2.0, promoted from within an already failing administration.
Crusty1 on February 19 at 7:46 p.m.
sju: You are so right on!! You hit every nail on the head and the general public needs to read this as the truth as to the way MOST teachers feel that teach in Spokane Public Schools. A true “insiders” truthful view.Folk: Teachers don’t condone their (administrations) behavior nor agree with it either. Read this closely and see what the REAL problems are!! I can’t recommend this enough!!