Six people made their way to the Oxford Schools? Administration Building on Feb. 12 as Dr. Mike Wilmot, CEO of the Michigan Leadership Institute, held a community forum, seeking further input into the search criteria for the next superintendent.
Wilmot gave each person a copy of the draft profile that had been posted for applicants seeking the position and asked if there was anything missing that people wanted to add to the list.
‘If there are items, we want to make sure we include them as we begin to screen applicants and interview candidates for the job,? Wilmot said.
Rod Charles asked what the source was for the (draft) criteria. Wilmot said it came internally from the district. Matt Johnson, marketing director for the district, explained that it was a combination of input from school board members and (central office) administration.
‘The document would potentially be self-serving then (with) these criteria,? Charles said. ‘It’s like asking questions that you want answers for’Let’s design something that fits what I already want.?
Dawn Reis felt the list was pretty neutral to things that ‘any board would be looking for in a superintendent.?
‘I hear what you’re saying Rod, but there’s not like there are real specifics to include or not include certain types of people,? she said.
While Wilmot agreed that there was criteria almost any district would ask for, he did point out that there were ‘unique things in there that pertain to Oxford that you won’t find in any other district.? Examples being:
? A visionary leader who is unwavering in sustaining and improving our comprehensive programs and initiatives
? Commitment to equal valuation of fine arts, athletics and academics, and the belief that each is important for the holistic development of our students
? An edupreneur: an educational leader demonstrating the ability to bring to fruition innovative educational programs and opportunities while also developing revenue programs to sustain them
? A global-minded leader who is committed to further international relationship development and continuous improvement of the district’s International Baccalaureate World School Program.
? Aglobal-minded individual who is committed to the full-implementation of the district’s existing and future strategic initiatives.
Concerns
As far as concerns, Colleen Schultz, former Oxford School Board president, said she’d like a ‘leader who is willing to find alternative revenue sources.?
‘That’s always been a big deal to me personally, because I don’t like (that) the state of Michigan can hold us hostage all the time,? she said. ‘I like that Oxford has alternative revenue and they’re not always tied to what the state can and can’t do for us.?
Oxford resident Roger Solvis agreed.
‘I agree with that in the sense that it’s very clear in my humble opinion,? Sovis said. ‘That it’s that out of the box thinking like that has allowed us to succeed the way we have.?
Schultz also felt it important that the superintendent be ‘approachable.?
‘I think it’s important that our superintendent be out in the community and be visible and not just at football games on Friday night, because everybody likes to be there,? she said. ‘I think it’s important for (the superintendent) like board members to be at fine arts programs, concerts and the plays.?
Charles posed a question to his fellow community members: ‘is there a logical reason that a potential superintendent should or should not have school classroom experience? Is it a criteria or not??
Pam Phelps, another former school board member, didn’t think they necessarily had to have classroom experience as far as teaching.
Sovis didn’t think so either.
‘When you look at the scope of this position (as a) CEO of the company, not necessarily (do you need to have experience in the classroom),? he said.
‘If you look at any big corporation and pick anyone who runs a division of that (company). They may understand what they’re manufacturing but they’re not going to be able to walk up to the machine and run it,? Sovis added. ‘The higher you are up, the more vision you need (and) the less technical skill at the ground level.?
‘My gut would be the same as yours in that respect,? Charles told Sovis. ‘I have the same ideas for CEO or administrative position, not necessarily being somebody who had been in a classroom. I understand you (have) got to have some affinity for the trials and tribulations of being in a classroom, but it’s a different job.?
Charles also noted that he’d like to see them ‘raise the standard of who gets hired.?
‘Why aren’t we hiring the best and brightest instead of a friends and family plan,? he asked, referring to teachers and administrators.
Wilmot said hiring policies would fall under the district policy, which is a purview of the board. Charles asked if his concern of low test scores also fell under that purview as well.
‘Because that’s been an issue in Oxford Schools, too ? our test scores being second rate,? he said.
Wilmot said that would be up to what the board sets as expectations for the new superintendent.
‘The board will set any level of expectation they have for the superintendent and would expect to hold the superintendent accountable through variety of means along the way to ensure that gets there,? he said.
While Sovis thinks that test scores do have value, he doesn’t believe ‘one shoe fits all,? especially if someone has kids ‘who have a great bend towards creativity rather than the analytical ‘what’s the answer to the question.??
That led him to his next concern.
‘I think it’s easy to see that Oxford is paving the road moving forward,? he said. ‘We’re leading the pack and I think it’s beyond Michigan as well. Have we done everything right? Absolutely not, but we’ve done a lot of things right because the results speak for themselves.?
His concern was for hiring someone from outside of the district and how they would measure up with the programs they have. He believes in the GE (General Electric) model of ‘hiring from within.?
‘My concern is bringing anybody in from the outside in what’s been built up here in Oxford for the last seven or eight years will be overwhelmed,? he said. ‘Even if they’re a topnotch candidate, it will take them a long time to get up to speed and understand all the facets that are required in the programs.?
Phelps agreed. She also said she read somewhere that ‘Oxford was the number one school district in the state if not in the nation.?
‘If you got a superintendent that’s led you to the top position in the state, if not in the nation and then you’re going to look for a superintendent out there,? Phelps said. ‘Obviously they’re not the superintendent of the number one school in the state if not in the nation. Obviously they’re going to have some catch up to do.?
Schultz said she wants a superintendent who will ‘continue the momentum? in the programs they’ve invested in.
‘I don’t know if we need a whole new set of programs to implement,? she said. ‘But I think we need to continue what we’re doing and do it well.?
As not only a teacher in the district, but speaking as a parent, Johnson said it’s important to him that the superintendent coming in see value in the programs they have and ‘find ways of keeping it sustained as opposed to cut back here, cut back here and cut back here.?
‘My major issue as a parent is that those opportunities for students to be seen as important and the most vital thing for us, stays at the top,? he added.
Sovis felt just ‘sustaining programs? wasn’t good enough.
‘If we start taking a mentality of sustaining that’s the wrong mentality,? he said. ‘A visionary who is looking at it the right way is going to see the other side. The glass half-full, we’re not going to sustain these, we’re going to enhance and grow them.?
‘If we as a school district don’t get to the knowledge of all that we have, we could lose it,? Phelps noted. ‘Worse yet we could not even miss it, but the one who is going to miss is the child because they’re not going to have the same opportunities the child before them had.?
To bring the meeting to a close, Wilmot thanked everyone ‘for coming out on a bitter cold wintry night.?
For those who would still like to give input into the process, but were unable to make the community meeting, Wilmot said there will be a link on www.oxfordschools.org called ‘Talk to Us.?
‘Anybody in the school community can go to that website, click on that button. It will ask a little bit of demographic information and then it will ask you to provide your comments and thoughts,? he said. ‘That will be open throughout the search process. At the end of the day I get a summary of all the comments that are made and I will forward those comments to the board.?
Not only did Wilmot meet with community members, but earlier in the day he also met with teachers, administrators and high school students.
‘The high school kids were really, really neat to talk to,? he said. ?(They are) a really fantastic group of kids that are very passionate about their own education and that of their siblings.?
Overall, Wilmot described all the groups he met with as ‘very strong groups of people throughout the day who clearly demonstrated passion for the success of this school organization and the kids who attend here.?
‘I think for the most part people are looking at it and saying ‘we want to take the next step forward, instead of a step-backwards or staying the same and find the best person you can find,?? he said.
Next steps
The posting to apply ended on Feb. 13. The school board met with Wilmot on Monday to select finalists.
The first round of interviews will be held Feb. 18 and 19 open to the public beginning at 6:30 p.m.; second round of interviews will be Feb. 23 and Feb. 26. The selection of the new superintendent will be Feb. 27 with a start date no later than Sept. 1