Pursue local talent for CR superintendent

Why does the Cedar Rapids school district spend thousands of dollars recruiting a new superintendent from distant lands, rather than promoting from within the organization? I find it hard to believe that none of the local school principals would be good candidates for the position. They would start out with the advantage of having had a rigorous on-the-job training in administration at the local level. They would also be well acquainted with not only the Cedar Rapids community, but also school procedures and organization.

If there are no good local candidates, that reflects poorly on the departing administrator for not developing local talent. Do we really want another administrator who hasn't actually interacted with students for years, and is fleeing a failing school system elsewhere?

Daniel McGrail

Cedar Rapids