Cedar Rapids school board picks Illinois firm to lead superintendent search

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids school board on Monday selected an Illinois-based consulting firm to lead its search in identifying the next superintendent as early as January.

The school board unanimously approved Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to assist with the superintendent search process. Board member Dexter Merschbrock was not present at the meeting.

Board President David Tominsky said the board chose a search firm based on the following criteria: its recruitment strategy engaging a nationwide, diverse pool of candidate; using data to drive its search; its overall success in the tenure of candidates they have placed; and the cost of services.

Superintendent Noreen Bush, 51, went on medical leave in September. Bush was diagnosed with cancer about two and a half years ago. The school board last month accepted her resignation effective June 30, bur she remains superintendent this school year.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates was one of three firms that last week presented their qualifications to the school board. The school district is paying $24,500 for its services, which includes a price-match discount of $3,000, Tominsky said.

The school board will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday to begin the superintendent search process, Tominsky said.

Selecting the next superintendent will have four phases: engage, recruit, select and transition, said Peter Flynn, senior associate with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, which has 34 years of superintendent experience, including in Iowa.

The new superintendent could be chosen by January, according to a preliminary timeline presented to the board last week.

The search will begin with the consulting firm developing a plan with the board. School board members will be interviewed separately and together as a board to create a profile for an ideal candidate, according to the presentation last week.

District staff and community stakeholders also will be interviewed to build a profile for the kind of leader Cedar Rapids schools wants. This will include focus groups, a community survey and possibly a public forum.

The school board will then receive a list of top candidates and have the chance to interview them. The final few candidates will have professional background checks conducted by the consulting firm.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates also will help the new superintendent transition in to the role by providing support to them as the start of the job. Most superintendents placed by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates last more than six years, according to the firm, and it will not try to recruit the superintendent hired away from the district at any time.

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