Lakeland Board of Education Selects Firm to Lead Superintendent Search
The Lakeland Board of Education has selected School Leadership, LLC as its superintendent search firm. The vote took place at its board meeting on November 7 where the firm was approved unanimously by the board members in attendance. Current Superintendent Dr. George Stone previously announced that he will retire on June 30, 2020 after serving in his role for 10 years.
“One of the most significant responsibilities of a New York State school board is to hire and evaluate the Superintendent of Schools,” explained Michael Daly, Board President. “At our July 11 meeting, the board determined that hiring a professional search firm would provide us with access to the quality of talent that Lakeland has come to expect from its leadership. After careful evaluation and positive referrals from multiple references, we determined that School Leadership was the best fit for our district.”
The search for a firm began on August 23, 2019 when the Board issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seven organizations. Responses to the RFPs were received from five firms and three were selected for further research and evaluation. On October 15, the prospective teams from each of these three firms were interviewed by all nine members of the board. Following the interviews, the board conducted background checks on each firm and contacted all references provided. Further vetting of School Leadership was conducted by Daly and Board Vice President Denise Kness, who contacted three local school board presidents to discuss their experiences with the firms, all of which were positive.
In early December, the board and School Leadership will conduct a planning meeting to discuss next steps and establish a timeline for the search. Following the meeting, School Leadership will solicit input from stakeholders identified by the board through a series of focus groups, open meetings and surveys. Information about the search will be communicated to the public via email and social media posts. A future web page will provide a more detailed look at the process. The board also welcomes questions during the public comment section of its business meetings.
About School Leadership, LLC
School Leadership, LLC is one of the largest New York companies engaged in the educational leadership search process. It has access to many search consultants with knowledge of communities in this region of the country, as well as experience with suburban school districts across the nation. Since its founding, the firm has served the needs of more than a hundred private and public schools and districts in the metropolitan New York area. For more information visit www.leadschools.us.
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