Dec. 18 – Higley Unified School District is taking the next step in its superintendent search, which is being conducted by its own Human Resources department, by examining the results of a community survey on the qualities the next leader should possess.
The Board heard from district officials last week about the timeline for the search and feedback gathered from the Higley community about what they would like to see in their new superintendent.
James Walker, Higley’s director of Human Resources & Student Services, said the district began the formal candidate search process in November.
On November 14, Higley began advertising for applications online, setting the deadline for December 19.
“Where we are on our timeline, from November 19 through 30, a survey was open to our community, parents, staff and students to respond, what characteristics they are looking for in our new superintendent,” he said.
Responses from parents or guardians made up 66% of the total 678 survey responses, 30% were school staff or teachers and one student also completed the survey, Walker said.
Higley High School had the highest number of respondents at 27.5%.
The questionnaire was based on the key responsibilities district officials outlined for the superintendent’s role: leadership and vision, operations management, student performance, community involvement, fiscal responsibility, and policy development and implementation.
Respondents were first asked what the new chief inspector should prioritize in the district.
“The most important outcomes are academic achievement and student success, while the least important initiatives are identified as equity and inclusion initiatives,” Walker said.
Fiscal responsibility and management, infrastructure improvements and communications and community involvement were generally ranked as second, third and fourth priorities, respectively.
The responses also show that transparency and accountability are among the most important leadership qualities their new head should possess, with visionary leadership scoring the lowest, Walker said.
“Per 227 responses, or 33%, said a combination of both teaching and administrative experience was the most desired experience for the candidate,” he said.
He said 32.9%, or 219 respondents, thought it was somewhat important that the new superintendent have experience within the school district or community.
“Essentially, 85% thought it was at least somewhat important overall, with most in the somewhat important category or important and then very important, as 22% were not important at all, coming in with 14% of the results,” noted Walker op. .
Survey participants were also asked to list the challenges the school district faces in an open-ended question, Walker said.
The themes highlighted included the district’s finances, academics, student safety and declining enrollment.
Other challenges included the board’s support for public education and a lack of trust and division in the Higley community.
Walker explained that responses to another open-ended question about important skills a new superintendent should possess included a long list of qualities, including classroom experience, administrative and financial experience, public education experience and trustworthiness.
“Another open question was what the board would like to consider for the superintendent,” Walker said.
Participants urged the board to involve the new superintendent in resolving issues surrounding cell phone use, books and bond failures and overrides, among others.
The last question concerned what candidates should be asked about.
“That is not being shared intentionally because these questions may end up in the interview process, so to maintain confidentiality of the employment process, they will not be disclosed tonight,” Walker said.
The board did not vote on the issue because it was merely a presentation to keep the board informed of the district’s progress.
However, Board Vice Chair Anna Van Hoek requested that staff provide the full survey results to members for reference in the ongoing selection process.
District officials will review the applications and the HR department and cabinet will conduct background checks from December 19 to January 10.
The board of directors will then select the possible candidates for an interview on January 14.
For the time being, two application rounds will take place between January 27 and February 14.
A forum with candidates will be held between February 24 and 28 and the board will vote on the finalist on March 4.
The newly appointed superintendent will take over from Sherry Richards, the current superintendent, on July 1, 2025.
Richards has said she plans to retire by the end of this school year.
Richards took over as the district’s chief administrator after problems arose last year with a candidate found by a headhunting firm employed by the district.
The board terminated his contract a month after hiring him after it emerged he was involved in a conflict of interest controversy in the Texas school district where he worked.
Board members had expressed concerns in previous meetings about the amount of time outside companies spend understanding the district’s needs and decided that an internal team would invest more in the hiring process.
