Trustees set initial parameters for hiring new superintendent

Open-minded, innovative, analytical, organized, fiscally responsible and impartial. Those are a few of the characteristics several residents want in Ramona Unified School District’s new superintendent.

Their statements came during a school board workshop held to solicit opinions from the community.

The search for a new superintendent comes after Superintendent Robert Graeff announced his plan to retire at the end of the school year on June 30.

Since Graeff’s announcement last month, trustees have sought public comments about characteristics residents desire in his replacement.

Under “What’s Happening” on the district website, www.ramonausd.net, the district invites the public to email “the qualities, skills and/or experiences that the new superintendent of Ramona Unified should possess in order to lead the school district forward.”

“The No. 1 criteria for a new superintendent is that he or she live in Ramona and has children enrolled in Ramona schools,” parent and grandparent Lucille Johnson said during the board workshop on Jan. 11.

She was one of six who spoke.

Ramona is a unique town with its “own special breed of people,” Johnson said.

The district has several capable leaders who attended Ramona schools and “understand the people of Ramona because they are one of them,” she said, noting she spoke for friends, colleagues and family members.

“In our opinion, we do not have to search too far,” she said. “We have just what we need right here in Ramona.”

“I hope that you don’t go out and pay, or use taxpayers’ money, to go outside of our district,” said Tony Dunkailo, a former board member and retired district employee.

If Graeff were ill and unable to work for three or four months, “who would you trust to take over that position?” he asked.

“Think about that,” he said.

Recommendations are always good, and resumes “don’t always tell the true story, Dunkailo said.

“You must read in depth, look behind the individual,” he said.

Parent Kim Newcomer documented traits she, her 14-year-old daughter and her husband consider important. Respectful, good judge of character, resourceful, peace maker and “above all, kind” were among characteristics on her daughter’s list.

“My husband said, ‘will work for $117,000,” she noted, commenting she believes his meaning is “we might find a really qualified person who’s willing to do a job for less than what we expect.”

A visionary was among Newcomer’s desired qualities. She encouraged trustees to ask candidates open-ended questions, “so you get answers that are revealing.”

Ramona High School teacher Mona Snodgrass said this is the first time in her 27 years with the district that trustees are “asking to hear from us, so thank you very much for that.”

The mother of two Ramona-educated children, Snodgrass wants “somebody who’s vested in this community, somebody who understands those unique qualities of Ramona...I’m looking for somebody who really understands why we’re different...understands how to take what’s here and make it amazing, to take us from good to excellent.”

Complimenting the work the district has done the past three years with Common Core and new teaching strategies, Snodgrass said she wants “an educational leader, somebody who’s up on educational research, not afraid to move sometimes teachers who don’t want to move, and move their techniques and strategies.”

Bridging the partnership between the district and community also is important, she said.

“I would hope that you also want to see someone continue to drive your vision, because I believe the vision that you are taking us in right now is a positive place to be,” added Snodgrass.

Graeff presented trustees with a suggested timeline for hiring the next superintendent. During a discussion of whether to hire a consultant, the consensus of the board was to conduct its own search. Graeff estimated a consultant would cost the district $20,000 to $30,000.

Board president Kim Lasley said her concern “is the time that’s involved to do this properly.” This is the most important job the board has, she said.

Saying he was not impressed with consultants he heard during the state school board association conference in December, trustee Bob Stoody commented, “We’re going to pay them for doing our own work that we’re going to do ourselves.”

“I think if we were all novices, but this is a very senior board, and we pretty well know what we want,” said Stoody.

“I think we can handle it ourselves,” agreed trustee Dawn Perfect.

“The consultant invariably queries the community, then he asks the school board what they want,” said trustee John Rajcic said. “He puts a little package together and sends us a statement for about $50,000, and I tend to be sort of against that.“

Resident Joan Renaud said a consultant would provide objectivity.

“It’s not so subjective as everything here has suggested,” she said.

Trustee Rodger Dohm said he could go either way. Since three of the five trustees prefer not to hire a consultant, “then I’m OK, but that would only be with legal counsel guiding us doing it the right way,” he said.

The board plans to prepare an initial list of desired characteristics for the next superintendent at its Jan. 21 meeting. Trustees also plan to establish compensation parameters at the meeting, but whether that discussion will be in closed or open session is uncertain.

The board will advertise the post through February in the professional newspaper EdCal and on EdJoin, a public education job search website. Trustees agreed that Robyn Puckett, Graeff’s administrative assistant, will be the point of contact for candidates and for comments from the public.

Trustees set Feb. 29 as a tentative due date for applications, and they may review the applications during a closed session on March 1 at 5 p.m.

They will continue to accept comments from the community, and they plan to connect with individuals and organizations on the list the district used during its last two bond campaigns.

“Those same interested parties would probably give us some input about the superintendent,” said Perfect. “Everybody on that list was somebody who had an interest in the success of our district,” said Perfect.