Herkimer Central School District Board of Education members are planning a variety of ways to receive community input as they move forward with a search for the next superintendent of schools.
The application deadline for candidates closed on Monday, March 14. Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES District Superintendent Sandra Sherwood, who is serving as the superintendent search consultant for Herkimer Central School District, conducted preliminary interviews with candidates this week.
Sherwood also has meetings with Herkimer elementary and middle school/high school staff and association leaders in the next week about the interview process and will schedule additional stakeholder meetings as requested.
An initial community survey about the superintendent search was open from late January until Feb. 20. After Herkimer Central School District Board of Education members complete their initial interviews with candidates, another online survey will launch on March 30 seeking thoughts from school community members on what questions they would like to ask a finalist candidate. The results of this second survey will help determine questions for a community forum that will be livestreamed on April 20.
The finalists for the superintendent position will participate in stakeholder interviews on April 20 – starting with coffee and doughnuts with students, and then meetings with administrators, teachers, support staff and parents.
In the late afternoon on April 20, a virtual community forum will be livestreamed featuring Sherwood asking the finalists questions that will be developed based on the second community survey. Immediately following the community forum, a third community survey will launch for that night only to allow school community members to share what they think are the strengths or concerns for each of the finalists.
Herkimer Central School District Board of Education members hope to offer the superintendent position to their chosen candidate on April 27 and appoint the new superintendent on May 18. The successful candidate would then be expected to assume the duties of Herkimer superintendent on or shortly after July 1, dependent upon the candidate’s current contract.
Updates and links to the online community surveys will be posted at www.herkimercsd.org and www.herkimer-boces.org.