by Mary Jo David

This week marks the beginning of the interview phase in the superintendent search for Stockbridge Community Schools. Prior to this, a series of meetings and workshops were held for planning and gathering stakeholder input. Stakeholders include school board members, school staff, the community at large and school administration.

The Michigan Association of School Boards has been assisting the Stockbridge school board in its search efforts. Kacie Kefgen, a consultant with MASB, has been helping the board and potential candidates navigate the search process.

“I see my role as helping to ensure the integrity of the process so conditions are the best they can be for the Stockbridge School District to make the strongest choice for school superintendent,” explained Kefgen, who has assisted districts with processes like this since 2016.

Gathering preliminary feedback: A recap

Prior to this week’s interviews, two stakeholder input meetings were held for the community at large. The superintendent search schedule was posted on the school website homepage. The communitywide meetings included an in-person meeting on April 20, attended by one community member, and a Zoom meeting on April 21, attended by eight community members. An online survey ran from March 30 to April 23 and resulted in 137 responses from stakeholders.

Although somewhat disappointed in the public turnout at the meetings, Kefgen was encouraged by the number of survey responses, explaining that it is important to hear back from at least 10% of the district through the survey process.

SCN sought candidate responses before interviews

On May 6, the Stockbridge Community News reached out to the school district to request email addresses for candidates after the superintendent posting closed May 11. The newspaper board hoped to request responses from candidates to a short list of pertinent questions so those responses could be published before this week’s interviews.

Unfortunately, the slate of superintendent candidates was not made public until May 21. 

For the responses to be useful, SCN would have needed to receive them no later than Sunday, May 24. Acting as a liaison between the newspaper and the school board, Kefgen felt it would be asking a great deal of the five candidates, on short notice, to spend a holiday weekend composing responses to the newspaper’s questions. For that reason, SCN was unable to put forth the questions to the candidates before interviews begin May 26.

First-round interviews are here

Twenty-two potential candidates applied for the Stockbridge superintendent opening. After reviewing submissions, school board members identified five candidates who will participate in first-round interviews Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27. Interviews begin at 4:35 p.m. at Stockbridge Jr./Sr. High School, and the public is invited to attend.

Tuesday, May 26, interviews:

• Andrea Redman, curriculum director/high school principal, Leslie Public Schools
• Paden Hunter Stalter, senior director of student success, Lansing School District
• Daniel Boyer, superintendent/special education coordinator, Evart Public Schools

Wednesday, May 27, interviews:

• Aaron Shinn, high school principal, Milan Area Schools
• Jeffrey Trapp, junior/senior high school principal, Stockbridge Community Schools

What to expect at the interviews

Candidates will each have one hour to respond to as many as 15 pre-scripted questions. The questions were developed by the school board with Kefgen’s assistance and reflect some of the feedback the board received during preliminary search meetings. The same questions will be asked of each candidate; candidates did not receive the questions in advance.

Kefgen has encouraged school board members and candidates to make the interviews as productive as possible by recommending candidates focus on specific examples, describe actual situations, explain their responsibilities, outline the actions they took and share the results. School board members and audience members should listen for those details during the interviews.

Those who attend the interviews will have the opportunity to fill out feedback forms each evening. Kefgen will ensure each school board member receives a copy of every feedback form. After the final interview Wednesday, the school board hopes to identify two finalists that night, or soon after. Those finalists will be invited back for a final round of interviews June 2.

Questions posed by the SCN board

For those interested, the questions the Stockbridge Community News board planned to pose are listed below. Kefgen agreed to make the questions available to the school board prior to the final round of candidate interviews June 2.

• Please share one or two ideas you have for promoting a positive public perception of the Stockbridge School District within and outside the community.
• Many in the district are concerned about teacher and support staff retention. In your experience, what are the three primary incentives for retaining teachers in a school district?
• How would you handle an incident in which a student publicly threatens the safety of a staff member at one of the district’s schools?
• What is your opinion on state-mandated testing, and do you have a strategy for raising the district’s test scores?

A school district is often the heart of a community, especially one the size of the Stockbridge area. Students represent the future; therefore, it is crucial for the public to be involved in the superintendent selection process. Mark your calendars and, if possible, attend the upcoming superintendent candidate interviews.