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BY ABIGAIL ROBERTS

Correspondent

STANFORD – The Lincoln County Board of Education and the newly-formed Superintendent Screening Committee met for the first joint meeting last week.

Tim Eaton, of the Kentucky School Board Association, conducted the meeting.

Eaton provided the following break down of the 14 applications that were received through the KSBA portal:

• 1 current superintendent

• 4 work for Central Office

• 2 are current principals

• 3 are teachers and

• 2 “others”

There were no female applicants.

Eaton, who has helped with 50 previous superintendent searches, reviewed the roles and responsibilities of each group during the superintendent search.

“The responsibility of the screening committee is, basically, we’re going to vet the candidates,” he said.

Eaton said he was familiar with several of the applicants.

“We’re going to be getting it down to three-to-five candidates, something like that, whatever we come up with, we’ll bring it back to the board,” he said. “We’re going to be working together and I’ll lead you through the process. I don’t have a dog in the fight. I don’t recommend anybody…we’re going to try to find the best fit for Lincoln County.”

Eaton said the second joint meeting will require an executive session, since applicants’ names and qualifications will be discussed.

“I urge confidentiality as best we can,” Eaton said. “I know everywhere people talk…but if we can keep the names confidential, for the most part, the process goes much better.”

Eaton said the screening committee will not share names of applicants with the board until they are ready to present the recommended candidates.

“That kind of takes you off the spot. I know that some of you probably know that someone local has applied. I’m just talking about the vast part of the names,” he said. “The board will have privy to all the names, after you present the top candidates, they’re going to have a whole file just like you have and they’ll be able to look at everything just like you looked at it, and they can question our work that way, if they wish. Most screening committees that I have worked with, they have almost all been stellar and you all will be no different. You’ve got a good cross-section of folks here and you’ll do a great job.”

Chairperson Etta Meek read aloud the criteria created for the screening committee by the school board. The criteria states:

• maintain the confidentiality of applicants, except as may be necessary to check reference

• recommend three to five candidates

• recommended applicants are to be listed in alphabetical order and not ranked

• meet with the board on May 23 for the purpose of formally recommending and discussing candidates

“Criteria: the board is seeking an innovative and motivational leadership with a record of improving student achievement,” Meek said. “The successful candidate shall have administrative experience and be an instructional leader who is committed to college and career readiness. The ideal candidate shall have the ability to effectively communicate with the staff and community to achieve district goals, as well as be visible in the community. The candidate shall possess strong morals and ethics. The candidate is required to have knowledge of budgeting, school finance, buildings and grounds, along with working knowledge of the Kentucky Education System.”

The school board meeting was adjourned and the superintendent screening committee meeting was held.

The timeline for the superintendent search is as follows:

• April 27: joint meeting of board and screening committee

• May 9: second screening committee meeting; applicants chosen for background and reference checks; background and reference checks begin

• May 16: third screening committee meeting; recommendations finalized for the board

• May 23: joint meeting between the board and screening committee to receive recommendations

• TBD: board interviews candidates

• TBD: New superintendent named

All meetings will be held at the Student Support Center.