Grandville Community Input – Superintendent Search

Ideal Superintendent Profile

As you go through this survey, you will probably find that every trait and skill discussed is important to you at least to some extent. Your challenge is to help us prioritize between traits that are somewhat important for the next superintendent and those that are critically important—so try to use the full range of any scales we provide and reserve “top box” ratings for only the few items that, in your mind, rise above the rest.

What is the minimum level of education you want the Board to consider when evaluating candidates for the superintendent position?*

Below is a list of positions that superintendent candidates may have held in the past. Which prior positions do you think would prove most valuable for the next superintendent? Choose UP TO three positions.*

Listed below are specific areas of expertise that different superintendent candidates may possess. From your perspective, how much weight should the Board place on each area?*

	Critically Important	Above Average Importance	Average Importance	Below Average Importance	Relatively Unimportant
Contract/labor negotiations
Facilities management
Curriculum development and evaluation
Human resource management
Budget development/management
Public relations
Contract administration

Importance – Facilities management

Importance – Curriculum development

Importance – Human resource management

Importance – Budget development/management

Importance – Public relations

Importance – Contract administration

Importance – Contract/labor negotiations

Below are six different leadership style descriptions. Recognizing that a leader may employ all of these management styles in different situations and at different points in time, are there some that you think should be the dominant style for an effective superintendent? Choose UP TO TWO management styles that you would like the next superintendent to employ most often.*

Delegated leadership: this leader is willing to turn over responsibility for decision making and problem solving to others.Collaborative leadership: this leader leads by using consensus building and other group processes to arrive at mutually beneficial decisions.Servant leadership: this leader leads simply by virtue of meeting the needs of his or her team.Situational leadership: this leader demonstrates different leadership styles depending on the situation.Democratic leadership: this leader will make the final decision but invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision making process.Transformational leadership: this leader inspires his or her team with a shared vision of the future.

Listed below are specific experiences and skill areas that could be important when evaluating the superintendent candidates. From your perspective, how much weight should the Board place on each area?*

	Critically Important	Above Average Importance	Average Importance	Below Average Importance	Relatively Unimportant
Maintain visibility and accessibility to parents
Demonstrated ability to work with elected officials beyond the School Board
Ability to develop and direct an effective management team
Excellent speaking skills with large and small groups
Maintain visibility and accessibility to staff
Fosters professional development of staff
Experience with school bond/millage/sinking fund election and implementation efforts
Strong knowledge of curriculum research and deployment
Recognizes, values, and affirms staff members
Maintain visibility and accessibility to the broader school district community
Strong communication skills with School Board members
Already familiar with the district
Demonstrates a keen ability to think outside the box and develop creative solutions to complicated problems
Maintain visibility and accessibility to students
Exceptional written communication skills
Exceedingly responsive (follows through and follows up)
Demonstrated responsiveness to students with learning differences
Proven track record of active advocacy for public education
Successful experience working with diverse communities
Adept at media and public relations
Proven track record of raising student achievement
Strong knowledge and experience with school financial matters
Student First Approach

Importance – Maintain visibility and accessibility to parents

Importance – Demonstrated ability to work with elected officials

Importance – Ability to develop and direct an effective management team

Importance – Excellent speaking skills with large and small groups

Importance – Maintain visibility and accessibility to staff

Importance – Fosters professional development of staff

Importance – Experience with school bond/millage/sinking fund election and implementation efforts

Importance – Strong knowledge of curriculum research and deployment

Importance – Recognizes, values, and affirms staff members

Importance – Maintain visibility and accessibility to the broader school district community

Importance – Strong communication skills with School Board members

Importance – Already familiar with the district

Importance – Demonstrates ability to think outside the box

Importance – Maintain visibility and accessibility to students

Importance – Exceptional written communication skills

Importance – Exceedingly responsive (follows through and follows up)

Importance – Demonstrated responsiveness to students with learning differences

Importance – Proven track record of active advocacy for public education

Importance – Successful experience working with diverse communities

Importance – Adept at media and public relations

Importance – Proven track record of raising student achievement

Importance – Strong knowledge and experience with school financial matters

Importance – Student First Approach

Listed below are personal characteristics that different superintendent candidates could possess. From your perspective, how much weight should the Board place on each personality characteristic when assessing each candidate?*

	Critically Important	Above Average Importance	Average Importance	Below Average Importance	Relatively Unimportant
A problem solver
A strong listener
Inclusive
Honest and ethical
Goal-oriented
Transparent
Self-reliant
Firm
Personable
Empathetic
A risk taker
Flexible
Culturally competent
Resourceful
Visionary
Kind
Tenacious/doesn't give up
Sense of humor
Thick-skinned
Sensitive
Approachable
Assertive
A strong communicator
Collaborative

Importance – A problem solver

Importance – A strong listener

Importance – Inclusive

Importance – Honest and ethical

Importance – Goal-oriented

Importance – Transparent

Importance – Self-reliant

Importance – Firm

Importance – Personable

Importance – Empathetic

Importance – A risk taker

Importance – Flexible

Importance – Culturally competent

Importance – Resourceful

Importance – Visionary

Importance – Kind

Importance – Tenacious/doesn't give up

Importance – Sense of humor

Importance – Thick-skinned

Importance – Sensitive

Importance – Approachable

Importance – Assertive

Importance – A strong communicator

Importance – Collaborative

In choosing the next superintendent, which path or strategy below do you think the Board of Education should take?*

Find a candidate who will stay the course and continue the good work of the current administrationFind a candidate with the same basic educational and management philosophy as the current administration, but who can make some necessary changesFind a very different kind of candidate—one who is ready to take the district in a significantly different direction

Superintendent Search Community Input

To begin, we have just a few questions that will help us categorize your answers with other similar community members in this process.

Thank you for your willingness to provide input for this important process!