Low turnout at Marion superintendent search forum

MARION - School funding, class size and maintaining high-quality facilities are among the challenges the next Marion Independent School District superintendent could face, district staff members said Tuesday at a public forum.

Only four people - all district employees - attended the event, one of several meetings held Tuesday to collect input on the district's search for a new superintendent. Current superintendent Sarah Pinion announced her retirement last month and will retire June 30.

The district, like many in Iowa, could continue to face financial difficulties in the coming years, staff members said. The state Legislature this month has been debating how much to increase school funding next year, with House Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad proposing a 1.25 percent increase and Senate Democrats calling for 4 percent growth.

Some district facilities also are in need of updates, participants said. Chad Allard, the Marion High School band director, said he specifically would like to see a new school auditorium.

The district's strengths, the staff members said, include having a small-school feeling in a larger metropolitan area.

'We are the perfect-sized school,” said Marion High School principal Greg Semler. 'There's enough variety that kids are able to find their own way.”

Semler said he hoped the next superintendent would be accessible to community members.

'You want to create a culture where any parent can feel comfortable calling and making contact,” he said, adding that the district has that now.

Allard said he wanted to see a candidate with past experience as a superintendent and with experience in the arts and athletics.

Renee Meth, a math teacher in the district, said she hoped the next superintendent would work to bring new grants and other funding to Marion schools. She said those funding sources have fallen off in recent years.

The discussion was led by Ned Sellers and Dale Monroe, two consultants from Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, the district's search firm. Monroe said the consultants talked to about 60 people total on Tuesday in meetings with community, business and faith leaders; administrators; support staff; students; teachers; parents and community members.

Input from those groups was consistent with the feedback in the public forum, Sellers said, and an earlier public forum included about 10 participants.

The forums were intended to gather stakeholders' opinions on the strengths and challenges of the school district, as well as the qualities and management style desired in the next superintendent. That input will be used to develop a brochure advertising the position, which will be posted online Feb. 28 if the school board approves it Monday, the consultants said.

Ray and Associates will return to the board April 10 with a slate of eight to 10 candidates, Sellers and Monroe said, and the board will then decide how many candidates to interview. The district would then decide which candidate to hire by April 20.

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