District asks residents to weigh in on superintendent

The Port Washington-Saukville School District is asking residents to help create a profile of its next superintendent by taking a survey available online.

The seven-question survey, which asks residents to identify the character traits and skills the district’s next top administrator should have, can be accessed on the district website, www.pwssd.k12.wi.us, or directly at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GQ3YYQV. The survey closes April 9.

The survey is considered one of the first key steps in the process of hiring a successor to Supt. Michael Weber, who will retire on June 30 after 21 years at the helm of the district. 

“The survey is definitely an important step in this process,” School Board President Brenda Fritsch said.

The results will be compiled by School Exec Connect, the firm hired by the district  to lead its search.

The firm will also facilitate a number of focus groups in an effort to involve the public in the hiring process and refine the profile it will use to select the next superintendent.

Participants will be selected by the district, and the groups could include everyone from students, teachers and parents to business leaders, members of civic organizations and senior citizens, Fritsch said. 

The School Board may also host a general forum open to anyone who wants to participate, she said. 

The focus groups will meet in person and be kept small to provide for social distancing, Fritsch said. 

School Exec Connect plans to complete the superintendent profile by April 12 and by early May present a list of candidates to the School Board.

The board is scheduled to conduct preliminary interviews in mid-May and complete interviews of the three finalists by June 4 in an effort to have a new superintendent in place by July 1.