SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH UPDATE
April 10, 2020On June 3, 2019, Sylvania Board of Education released a district update to the Sylvania community that detailed four steps for selecting a new superintendent. That update concluded: “We recognize the gravity of finding the right educational leader to fulfill our needs and pilot us toward our best future. We are committed to taking the time to do this the right way and with the input and cooperation of the Sylvania community. We appreciate your patience and your support during this exciting time for our school district.”
Ten months, two new board members, a staff and community survey, staff and community focus groups, three rounds of candidate interviews, a community meet and greet, and a global pandemic later, we are thrilled to announce we have reached the fourth and final step toward our promise to begin a new era in Sylvania education. The Board is excited to welcome Dr. Veronica Motley as the next superintendent of Sylvania Schools!
We have chosen Dr. Motley for her breadth of educational knowledge and experience, ability to concisely express ideas, and confident yet humble demeanor. Having served the educational community as a teacher, principal, director of student services, adjunct university professor, and assistant superintendent, Dr. Motley brings with her three decades of experience across several educational areas, including curriculum, assessment, training, special education, and leadership. Throughout the interview process, Dr. Motley received shining reviews from board members, administrators, and many others in our community.
Having successfully negotiated a contract with Dr. Motley, she will be officially hired at the next regularly-scheduled board meeting, which will be held virtually this Monday, April 13 at 5:00. Dr. Motley is excited to begin this journey, and we are excited to invite her to get to know our collaborative community of staff, students, parents, and other community members even better. Despite the highly unusual circumstances of the past month, we worked hard to keep our mission of new leadership on track. This was only possible with the patience, flexibility, and support of our staff and our community, so we thank you!
Sincerely,
Sylvania Board of Education
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Monday, April 6, 2020
Despite the current pandemic, the Board has been able to
move forward with the superintendent search. Last week, we met virtually with semi-finalists
to determine if any of those eight professionals might be a good fit for Sylvania.
We were able to narrow the field to four finalists. Our plan is to meet with these
finalists in person for a second interview on April 8th.
We are also in the process of setting up a virtual “Meet and
Greet” for a wide cross section of representatives from our staff and
community. They will be able to virtually access the finalists. Although
the final decision to hire the right person is that of the Board, we believe it
is essential for key stakeholders to offer feedback to be used in the decision-making
process. We are trying to balance safety with the necessity of hiring a leader
who will be ready for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
In doing so, we intend on keeping Ohio’s unfolding safety guidelines
in mind. We will update you on the process if things change from our current plan,
which could include again connecting with candidates virtually instead or even
delaying interviews. We appreciate the community’s understanding, flexibility,
and continued support as we continue the search for our next leader during this
very unusual time.
Timeline
January 27, 2020 | Organizational Meeting for Superintendent Search Process |
January 30, 2020 | Announce the position statewide |
January 31, 2020 | Post Superintendent Search Profile Questionnaire |
February 19, 2020 | Profile Meetings with Stakeholder, Staff, and Community Focus Groups |
February 23, 2020 | Superintendent Search Profile Questionnaire Deadline |
February 27, 2020 | BOE review of Superintendent Search Profile (Special Board Meeting) |
January 30 thru March 16, 2020 | Candidate Recruitment Period |
March 16, 2020 | Application Materials Deadline |
March 19, 2020 | Candidate Screen Meeting (Special Board Meeting) |
April 1 and April 2, 2020 | First Round Interviews (Special Board Meeting) |
April 8, 2020 | Finalist Interviews for Candidates (Special Board Meeting) |
April 13, 2020 | Regular BOE Meeting to Hire New Superintendent |
August 1, 2020 | Start date of new superintendent or sooner to transition |