Five men and one woman will interview with the Morgan Hill
School Board and its advisory committee over the weekend for the
position of district superintendent. Current Superintendent Carolyn
McKennan
’s contract expires June 30.
Five men and one woman will interview with the Morgan Hill School Board and its advisory committee over the weekend for the position of district superintendent.
Current Superintendent Carolyn McKennan’s contract expires June 30.
“This is a really good candidate pool,” adviser Rudi Gatti said Thursday. Gatti and his wife, Janet, of RJ Gatti Associates were hired by the board to assist in hiring a new superintendent.
The district received 21 applications by the March 1 deadline. Board members have been reviewing the applications since that time while references were checked by the Gattis.
During a special meeting Monday night, trustees in a closed session narrowed the list to six finalists. One of the six is from Southern California, Gatti said, and the other five are from Northern California.
“They discussed the backgrounds of the candidates, discussed their skill sets,” Gatti said. “The board thinks these candidates have qualities that fit the profile drawn up by them and the community.”
The Gattis held two public forums in January to gather information from the public about the ideal candidate for the job; they also spent two days in meetings with selected members to gather input. From the suggested qualities they gathered, they created a brochure which profiled the position.
The board was scheduled to interview four candidates Friday and two today. They may then bring some of them back for another interview this weekend.
The advisory committee selected by the board and by the district’s three employee groups, which each chose two representatives to sit on the committee, will also interview the candidates. The committee will not rank the candidates as a group or come to consensus, but each member individually will rate the candidates for trustees.
Once the board has a final candidate in mind, trustees will visit the candidate’s home district. The board is scheduled to select the new superintendent April 4.
Gatti will negotiate the contract for the board.
“They will give me their requirements, I make recommendations,” said Gatti. “We look at things like the going salary rates in Santa Clara County, at fringe benefits, then we say here’s what we’re going to do.
“The salary can depend on experience; for example, you would not have to pay someone with a few years of experience as someone who has been a superintendent for some time.”
The contract will then be reviewed by a school district lawyer. During a board retreat March 11, trustees discussed with a facilitator from the California School Boards Association some ideas to make the transition easier for the incoming superintendent, the board and the district as a whole.
One of the ideas was to hold a similar retreat with the trustees and the new superintendent.
“I would highly recommend that,” Gatti said. “That is a good opportunity to get to know one another, to discuss the expectations of the board and of the new superintendent. They can also set some goals for the new superintendent at this time, things they would like to see in the first three months, in the first six months, first year.”
There is no time for a “learning curve” for a new superintendent, Gatti said.
“They have to come in running, do their homework before they even start so they know the issues when they come in” he said. “There used to be a one-year honeymoon period, but that’s gone. People want to see results right away.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@*************es.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 ext. 202.
