MPCSD Board sets superintendent search timeline

MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant Community School District board approved a road map to select a new superintendent, aiming to finish the process before winter break.

At its Aug. 25 work meeting, the board worked with search consultant Shannon Bisgard of Grundmeyer Leader Services to set key dates, plan community involvement, and discuss salary ranges.

Board members chose Grundmeyer Leader Services earlier in August after hearing presentations from both Grundmeyer and Ray and Associates.

The hiring process will follow a clear timeline.

“After we review applications, then we’ll jump into semifinalist interviews and then in person interviews and have a follow-up work there, too,” Bisgard explained. “So, there is kind of a big picture view of where we’re going.”

During the Aug. 25 work session, the board and Bisgard made the following tentative timeline:

Sept. 8-30 Community survey

Bisgard explained that approximately three weeks allows for the best amount of time to receive responses from stakeholders throughout the district. The more responses obtained from the survey, the more data the district has, and the better informed they can be while making this decision.

“The survey is really three questions,” Bisgard explained. “Two of them are open-ended — what do you see as the strengths of the district, and what are some of the challenges or areas for growth? And then we’ll have a checklist of professional skills and personal traits that you want to see in your next leader.”

Oct. 1 District opens applications

Applicants will need to hold or be able to obtain an Iowa superintendent license and an evaluator approval certificate.

Additionally, the district discussed a number of preferred qualifications such as finance and budgeting experience, school improvement leadership, district-level leadership, facilities master planning, and community visibility.

One qualification, prior experience as a superintendent, drew out some discussion with the board as one member asked if it should be a required qualification instead of preferred.

“I didn’t want to limit your candidate pool,” Bisgard said. “But if you want to make that a requirement, obviously you can.”

After a brief discussion, the board opted to keep the qualification as preferred.

Board members also debated how high to set the salary range. Bisgard recommended $185,000 to $205,000 based on comparable districts.

MPCSD board member Derek Mullin specifically asked if Bisgard felt this range would attract “seasoned people” with experience.

“I want to make sure that we hopefully get a few candidates who are not brand-new, and I want to make sure the salary range attracts all kinds of talent,” Board member Aaron Williamson said.

MPCSD Board President Angie Blint offered insight to Bisgard on this topic when she brought up the district’s need for someone that can navigate obstacles such as declining enrollment.

With others reminding the team of the district’s fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers, the group opted to leave the pay range between $185,000-215,000.

Oct. 13 Consultant presents survey results

Nov. 30 Applications close

Bisgard explained this to be an optimal time for applications as many candidates will use the Thanksgiving break to gather information and submit to the posting.

Dec. 2 Board reviews candidates in closed session

The board agreed to keep candidate names confidential until finalists emerge.

“We think it’s important that the community has some awareness as well,” Bisgard said. “The balance is, if they’re a finalist, that becomes public.”

Dec. 10 Zoom interviews

The board will likely invite four to eight candidates to the Zoom interviews which will act as screening interviews to further narrow down the candidate pool before the final in person interviews.

Dec. 16 In-person interviews with the board

During the Dec. 16 in-person finalist interviews, candidates won’t just meet with the school board. They’ll also rotate through interview panels made up of different stakeholder groups from the district: parents, teachers and staff, students, and administrators.

Instead of separating these groups into their own sessions, the consultant recommended blending them into “mixed teams.”

The reasoning is strategic: when candidates sit in front of a single-interest group, such as only students or only parents, they may tailor their responses to what that specific audience wants to hear. By mixing voices, the teams create a more balanced conversation where candidates must address the needs of the whole district at once.

Following the in-person interviews, Bisgard suggested the board prepare to hold a meeting that same night to debrief with the goal of offering a job to one of the candidates that night.

While Bisgard acknowledges that this could seem fast, the idea is to do as much work as possible ahead of time.

“We almost never have any issues getting to closure that night,” he said. “If we need to extend it, we will.”

If the board sticks to its plan, Mt. Pleasant will name its next superintendent before students leave for winter break.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com