The search is on for new leadership in the Oconto Falls School District following Superintendent Dave Polashek’s recent announcement that he is retiring at the end of this school year.
The School Board met in special session March 24 to hear proposals from three consultants interested in aiding the district in its quest for a new superintendent.
After hearing the proposals and meeting briefly in executive session, the board chose School Exec Connect, a national search and consulting firm that, according to its website, specializes in finding superintendents, central office administrators and principals.
“The board felt most comfortable with School Exec (Connect),” board President Ron Leja said.
Polashek said the the costs associated with each consultant were similar.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a good pool of candidates,” Polashek added.
School Exec Connect moved quickly to begin the search process, posting information on its website about the position on March 25.
“The information is already out there,” Polashek said. “It was actually a Times Herald story that was picked up by a clipping service and sent out around the state.”
Miles Turner, of School Exec Connect, said the cost to the district will be “locked in” at $9,000 for fees and $900 for expenses. Payment is due when the district signs a contract with a new superintendent.
“This is going to be a good sell,” Turner said, emphasizing the attractiveness of the district’s new athletic field, the solid test scores in the district and the stability shown by the lengthy career of Polashek.
No formal applications have been received so far, although Polashek said he had four phone calls from people expressing interest in the position.
Polashek said the district has at least two principals who have superintendent’s licenses, but he had not heard from them.
The board met Monday with Turner in a work session to talk about strategies in the hiring process. Leja said the meeting will allow the board to consolidate ideas to move forward in the process.
“We’ll develop what we’re looking for and prioritize,” he said.
Don Stevens and Associates and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards also submitted bids to conduct the search.
The proposal from Don Stevens and Associates was $10,000-$11,000, plus travel and advertising costs.
The Wisconsin Association of School Boards quoted rates of $130 per hour for professional consultation fees, $100 per hour for search services coordinator fees and $100 per hour for travel time. The estimated cost of a comprehensive search would range from $8,950 to $12,500, it said.
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