CMS board lays groundwork for superintendent search

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools should invest in a search firm and gather community input this summer as it looks for a new superintendent, the school board was advised at a special meeting Thursday.

Mike Casserly, an expert on superintendent searches nationwide, led the afternoon discussion intended to give board members advice as they prepare to look for a new leader. Casserly is the director of the Council for the Great City Schools, an association of urban school districts.

Casserly told school board members that while they were not locked into hiring a search firm, it can be advantageous because of their experience and because it reduces the chance the public will view the process as rigged.

He also said that this summer would be a good time to gather community input on a superintendent because November’s elections could bring a new dynamic to the school board. Three at-large seats are up for election this year. Casserly said the board should not take action that would lock in future board members to their decisions.

Among his other advice:

▪ Instead of first coming up with a list of preferred characteristics in a new superintendent, Casserly said the school board should instead discuss what challenges the district faces and whether they are happy with the direction the district is headed.

▪ CMS should move quickly after the election, Casserly said. Most superintendent openings are in January, February or March.

▪ If CMS wants to consider nontraditional candidates, the district could look to corporate or government lawyers, state government leaders, finance experts or military leaders.

Thursday’s meeting came six months after former Superintendent Heath Morrison suddenly resigned. The Observer soon revealed that the school board and its general counsel, George Battle III, had investigated allegations that Morrison had bullied his secretary and misled the board about the full costs of a building project at UNC Charlotte.

Ann Clark, a CMS veteran and then-deputy superintendent, was tapped to fill the top job. In January, the school board voted to name her superintendent with the contingency that she not have the job long-term.

Casserly praised Clark several times during the meeting, saying she possesses rare skills.

The board hopes to have a replacement named in early 2016.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "CMS board lays groundwork for superintendent search."