Finding the Right Superintendent

When you're faced with a critical hire—a superintendent to lead your district or other key staff that can determine your district's success—you need clarity and expertise in every step of your executive search.

A lot of planning and legal considerations go into a successful superintendent search, including:

• Holding a planning session to establish the activities for the search
• Creating of a profile of qualifications and characteristics for your ideal superintendent candidate
• Naming an acting or interim superintendent
• Hiring a search firm to help manage the process
• Advertising, recruitment, and candidate confidentiality considerations
• Developing interview questions and structuring the interview process
• Deciding whether or not to tour a candidate’s previous district
• Negotiating with, naming, and hiring the candidate
• Planning a smooth transition

Help and Advice in the Process of Finding a New Superintendent

Your board can take steps to make the process easier. First, solicit advice from people who are familiar with the process:

• The school district’s attorney: The district’s attorney can provide suggestions regarding the process and may also bring experience with superintendent hiring to the table. The board should consult with the district’s attorney throughout the recruiting and hiring process. TASB Legal Services recommends that districts use a member of the Texas Council of School Attorneys (CSA).
• Experienced board members: Board members who have been through the process before, whether in your district or another, can be a wealth of information. Ask experienced board members what process they followed, what they liked about the process, and what they would do differently.
• The outgoing superintendent: If the relationship between the board and the outgoing superintendent is good, you can ask the outgoing superintendent for input on the process. The outgoing superintendent knows the district, the board, and the community; his or her assistance can be invaluable. If the relationship between the board and the outgoing superintendent is not good, you might seek input from another experienced administrator in the district.
• A professional search firm: A qualified search firm is experienced with the process in Texas school districts, has connections throughout the state, and can provide a wealth of information.

Finding the Right Fit

The most important criterion for judging a successful superintendent search is the fit between the board and the candidate. You aren't just looking for a person to fill a position. You need a partner who can help your district achieve your board’s goals.

TASB Executive Search Services can help your district find its next superintendent. We’ll help you navigate the search process to so you can find the right candidate for your board, your students, and your community.

Proven Expertise

TASB is uniquely positioned to help your district launch a highly specialized, well-organized superintendent search that attracts quality candidates. We can serve as your support team and ease the burden of the search process—providing expert advice, coordinating the tasks needed for the search to progress successfully, and collecting the information you need to make effective decisions.

For more than 30 years, TASB Executive Search Services has helped school districts find new leaders.

• We’ve helped more than half the school districts in Texas.
• Districts big and small—from 100 students to nearly 200,000—have counted on our expertise.
• More than 90% of the superintendents placed in the past four years are still in their districts.