First Public Meetings Scheduled in Search for New Superintendent
At the August 23, 2018 meeting the Board of Education announced the next steps in its search for a new superintendent, including the first public meetings to gather input from the community.
“We are committed to finding the best, most qualified candidate to lead the district,” said Board Member Carrie Olson. “We want to meet with as many students and educators, school communities, community organizations, nonprofits and business leaders, registered neighborhood organizations and faith groups as possible. We want to hear from you and we value your input.”
Over the past month, the board has begun seeking out community input on the experiences, qualities and qualifications the next superintendent should have.
The board reiterated its commitment to engage with the community guided by four key questions:
The community engagement will happen in four primary ways:
Small Stakeholder Meetings
The board has already held 17 meetings with small stakeholder groups thus far, and has 29 meetings scheduled over the next two weeks. More small group meetings are being scheduled, along with larger regional meetings. Any small group or individual who would like to meet with the board can email supersearch@dpsk12.org to request a meeting.
Regional Meetings
In an effort to hear from the broader community, the board announced the first six large regional meetings:
Additional dates are being confirmed in Green Valley Each, Montbello, Near Northeast and Central, West and Northwest regions. Dates, times and locations will be posted at supersearch.dpsk12.org. Updates will be sent to those who have signed up through the website, as well as shared on social media and via invitations to school communities. Everyone is welcome at these meetings, not just those attending the particular schools.
Survey
In an effort to provide greater access to those who are not able to meet with the board in person or attend one of the regional meetings, the board will be opening a survey to anyone who wishes to participate. The board thanked the community for its patience while it works to develop a high-quality, culturally-accessible and short survey in consultation with experts in the community. The survey will be shared widely, including on the supersearch.dpsk12.org website and district social media.
Emails and Public Comment
As always, the board receives emails via board@dpsk12.org (which is forwarded to all board members’ individual email addresses), as well as supersearch@dpsk12.org. The board encouraged everyone to share their perspectives through these emails at any time.
Further, the board encouraged community members to sign up to speak during public comment at one of the regularly scheduled board meetings (including tonight and Thursday, Sept. 20) or at a special public comment session the board has scheduled specifically to obtain feedback on the superintendent search on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 5:30 p.m. You can find the board meeting schedules at board.dpsk12.org.
“I want to emphasize that we encourage people to reach out to us for smaller meetings or attend the large meeting to share your input. And I want to say with conviction that it matters,” said Board Member Jennifer Bacon. “We want to really hear you and incorporate your feedback.”
For more information and updates on the superintendent search, visit supersearch.dpsk12.org.