Profile gives board picture of next School District leader

Twenty-two people have expressed interest in becoming the next superintendent of the Port Washington-Saukville School District, 10 have applied for the job and now the district’s consultants will use a superintendent profile presented to the School Board Monday to recruit other candidates.

The profile, which will also be used to screen candidates, is based on feedback from 150 people representing various groups in the community and school system who participated in 13 focus groups, as well as 758 people who responded to a survey asking about the district’s strengths and weaknesses and the ideal attributes of the successor to Supt. Michael Weber, who will retire on June 30 after 21 years at the helm of the district.

“You have a lot of proud people here, not boastful, just proud,” Joe Sheehan, one of two consultants from School Exec Connect who is conducting the search, said while describing the input received from the groups and survey. “To me, that’s impressive.”

According to that feedback, finding a superintendent who is an expert in school finance or an instructional leader is not a priority because the administrators who currently oversee those areas are doing a good job.

“When it comes to finances, they (the public) feel that things are going pretty well,” Gerald Freitag, the other School Exec Connect consultant working with the district, said. “There’s a lot of satisfaction out there.”

What people do want is a superintendent who is well versed in the use of social media to promote the district and communicate with parents and other district residents. Board member Brian Stevens suggested the next superintendent be tasked with leading a communication initiative.

The district’s top administrator should also be focused on attracting and retaining quality employees even though this is not currently a problem, Sheehan said. 

“They want this to continue,” he said.

Community involvement is important.

“It’s clear the superintendent needs to be not only part of the district but part of the whole community,” Sheehan said.

Freitag said, “You have that, but there’s a fear it won’t continue. People want that to continue.”

The superintendent should be open-minded and take a collaborative approach to leading the district.

“The key is you’re looking for someone who is a shepherd, someone who is willing to involve others and facilitate,” Freitag said. 

Focus groups and survey participants also recommended the district create a strategic vision for the future in light of the pandemic, politics and the changing demographics of the area, Freitag said.

“The question is, what will the district look like in five years?” he said. “They think you should spend some time with your new leader and think about this.”

Board members stressed that the superintendent should be student-focused and understand that the district is committed to educating and providing programs for students who have a variety of goals.

“I think we’re a district not just focused on college-bound students,” Board President Brenda Fritsch said. “We’re a district that wants high academic achievement but is not only about the top tier of students.”

Superintendent applications are due May 2, and the consultants said the district is likely to attract a number of promising candidates because of its reputation.

“We’re talking to candidates, and you’ve given us a really good hand to present to them,” Sheehan said, adding that even administrators who weren’t looking for new jobs have inquired about the position. “You’re living in a destination district. That’s the mindset people around the state have for Port Washington-Saukville.”

The consultants will screen and interview applicants and on May 5 present a list of five to seven semi-finalists to the board.

The board will interview those candidates and pare the list to three finalists, who they will interview in late May and early June.

By June 7, the board is expected to have negotiated a contract with the new superintendent.