PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board expects to hire a new superintendent by the end of May and in place by August.
The district released on Friday a schedule for replacing Gary Cohn, who will begin work on July 1 as the Everett School District superintendent after eight years at the helm of the Port Angeles district.
The School Board voted unanimously, after an executive session at a special meeting on Tuesday, to hire Principled Leadership Consulting, based in Seattle, to help with the search for a new superintendent.
The firm will be paid $11,000 for services and up to $1,000 for such expenses as an informational brochure.
The brochure is expected to be completed by Friday and sent to prospective candidates.
The consultants will hold two community meetings on April 16 to answer questions, gain input and go over the search process.
The meetings will be at 10:30 a.m. at the Port Angeles Senior Services and Community Center, 328 E. Seventh St., and at 7 p.m. at Jefferson Elementary School Gymnasium, 218 E. 12th St.
A survey to give input to the district is available on the district’s Web site at www.portangelesschools.org. Click on “Superintendent Search” on the right side of the page. It will be available through April 15.
Community forums are planned in May to allow members of the public to meet finalists and ask them questions.
List of possibilites
Baxter, at the direction of the School Board, had contacted the Washington State School Directors’ Association for assistance with a superintendent search process.
The group provided the board with a list of possible consulting firms, and Baxter contacted three firms in addition to Principled Leadership: McPherson & Jacobson LLC of Omaha, Neb.; Ray and Associates Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Northwest Leadership Associates of Liberty Lake.
Northwest Associates declined to participate due to peak season work load.
“We believe that Principled Leadership Consulting is the best consultant to guide us in our search for a new superintendent,” Baxter said.
“Wayne Robertson and John Bohrnsen have had lots of recent experience and a high rate of return on finding just the right person for districts in our state.
“We are optimistic that the timing is good to find the right person to step into the leadership position immediately.”
2008-2009 budget
Baxter said that the money for the search will come out of the 2008-2009 budget, which is “adequate and healthy.”
“As we are all aware, next year’s budget is going to be significantly leaner,” he said.
He said that the district’s short time line for the search meant that neither the board, nor existing administrative staff could conduct the search.
“The selection of a new superintendent is one of the board’s most important responsibilities,” he said.
“We are committed to finding a highly capable leader for our district, and we believe it is in our best interest to be guided by seasonal professionals with a solid track record conducting successful searches.”
Earlier this month, Cohn agreed to a three-year contract in Everett that will pay him a base of salary of $170,000 a year.
He will take the reins of one of the state’s largest districts with 26 schools, about 18,500 students, a $188 million annual operations budget and close to 2,000 employees.
He is making about $138,000 in Port Angeles.
