Metro Detroit Public School

District Superintendent
Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

Last Revised
February 14, 2011
 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................2
Disclaimer .............................................................................................................................................................2
Ann Arbor Public Schools ...........................................................................................................................................3
Novi Community Schools............................................................................................................................................4
Rochester Community Schools ...................................................................................................................................5
Bloomfield Hills Schools .............................................................................................................................................5
Grosse Ile Public Schools ............................................................................................................................................6
Lake Orion Public Schools and Walled Lake Consolidated .........................................................................................7
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.......................................................................................................................7
Currently Posted Superintendent Positions in Michigan ...........................................................................................8

Introduction
The Grosse Pointe Public School System has been under the leadership of Dr. C. Suzanne Klein for
thirteen years and has thus had little direct exposure to superintendent searches. Such long tenure
is not particularly common these days. Many school districts across the state have participated in
these kinds of searches. This document is an attempt to capture high level details of some of those
experiences.

Reviewing their experiences and analyzing the processes they followed may be informative to our
efforts. Particular note should be paid to the use of search firms, the search firm selection process,
and obviously the superintendent search process and timeline itself.

For reference, I have listed the size of the school districts mentioned both in rank among those in
the state as well as in the number of students. GPPSS is about the 31st largest in the state and has
about 8,400 students.

Disclaimer
These notes represent the personal research of Brendan Walsh of recent Metro Detroit public school district
superintendent searches. This is NOT an official document of the Grosse Pointe Public School System or the Board
of Education. I did not develop this at the direction of the Board of Education nor is there any requirement to use
this document in any way, shape or form in an official capacity for the district.

I compiled the information for my own edification and upon completing it thought I would make it available for
others to use, or not use, as they see fit.

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 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

Ann Arbor Public Schools

7th largest public school system in the state, 16,492 students
Former Superintendent Todd Roberts, who previous to his AAPS post was Asst. Supt for
Curriculum and Instruction in Birmingham (MI) City Schools, resigned from AAPS on August
13th, 2010. The resignation was abrupt and immediate, with no time for overlap in a
transitional phase as Roberts moved his family out of state.
Given this shortness of time, the AAPS Board appointed an interim superintendent on
October 27, 2010 and set a goal of hiring the next superintendent on May 4, 2011.
Within two weeks of Roberts announcement, the AAPS Board of Education had issued an RFP
for a search firm to find a replacement that called for a Board decision on the search firm by
the end of September.
AAPS received seven bids for search firm services ranging in price from $17,000 to $30,000.
Four bidders were Michigan based firms and one each from Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Within a week after the bids were received, the AAPS Board of Education narrowed the list of
search firms to five. Within a week of this, they had scheduled interviews with:
o Michigan Association of School Boards;
o Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates of Rosemont, Ill.;
o McPherson and Jacobson, LLC of Omaha, Neb.;
o Ray & Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa;
o David Kinsella & Associates, based in Ann Arbor.
By the end of September (a month after the RFP was issued), the AAPS Board had
decided to hire Ray and Associates out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa at an estimated cost of
$21,000 to$24,000.
In mid-October the AAPS Board began discussing new salary for the next superintendent
in a public meeting and had also announced three community forums taking place on
three consecutive nights in the last week of October to receive input on what the
community wanted in a new superintendent. The forums were facilitated by the search
firm. (One of the sessions covered by the press reported 20 people attended, most
students from Skyline HS attending for class purposes.)
In early November, Ray and Associates delivered to the AAPS Board a report on salaries
of other superintendents locally. Roberts had been paid $180,000. The Board concluded
for the purposes of informing the search that the salary of the next AAPS superintendent
would be approximately $245,000. The comparison lists reported at least these other
superintendent salaries:
o Plymouth-Canton, $231,000 (4th largest state district)
o Farmington Schools, $207,000 (16th largest)
o Walled Lake Schools, $206,000 (9th largest)
o Rochester Community Schools, $190,000 (11th largest)
o Dearborn Schools, $175,000 (5th largest)
o Livonia Schools, $150,000 (6th largest)
At least 45 applications for the AAPS superintendent position were received by the
January 27, 2011 deadline. Ray and Associated presented a finalist list to the AAPS
Board in a closed session on February 9th:
o William DeFrance, superintendent of Eaton Rapids Public Schools in Michigan;

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 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

o Patricia Green, superintendent, North Allegheny School District in Pennsylvania;

o Paul Long, chief executive officer of the Pennsbury School District in Pennsylvania;
o Michael Munoz, chief academic officer of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa;
o Shelley Redinger, superintendent of the Oregon Trail School District in Oregon
o Manuel Rodriguez, asst superintendent of Baltimore (MD) County Public Schools
Public interviews are scheduled the week of February 14th, to be held at local hotel
locations. While the interviews are public, audience questions will not be allowed until
the next stage of finalist interviews.
Upon that reduction of the candidate pool, most likely to three, visits to the school
districts of the finalists made by select trustees are expected to take place.
In summary, if AAPS holds faithfully to their timetable, which they have up until now, from
Roberts mid-August resignation announcement, it took them:
o Two weeks to issue the search form RFP
o Six weeks to retain the search firm
o Five months to narrow field to six candidates
o Eight months to hire a replacement

Novi Community Schools

49th largest district in state, 6,250 students
Current Superintendent Pete Dion announced his retirement last summer and will leave
his post in June, 2011.
On February 4th NCS offered the position to former GPPSS Board of Education member,
Dr. Steve Matthews, who was most recently superintendent of Grand Ledge (MI) Schools,
as their new superintendent. They selected their new candidate in a little over four
months. Matthews will start in March, having been selected over these four finalist from
the total pool of 43 candidates:
o Oscoda Area Schools Supt. Christine Beardsley,
o St. Joseph Academy President and CEO Robert Brescia,
o Birmingham Public Schools Deputy Supt. for Educational Services Paul DeAngelis,
o Manchester Community Schools Supt. Shawn Lewis-Lakin (who was the other
finalist after yet another narrowing of the list about two weeks earlier)
Matthews was approved unanimously by the Board before financial details of the contract
with him were concluded.
The timeline for their search was very detailed and it appears they were able to hold to
this schedule. Details were not available from how they had already decided to utilize
search firm School Exec Connect:
o September 30, 2010, Board of Education Committee of the Whole Meeting with School
Exec Connect to determine the search process and establish timelines
o October 14, 2010, Board of Education Committee of the Whole Board Meeting with
School Exec Connect consultants for Review of Search Calendar and Board
Superintendent Profile Interview
o October 15, 2010, School Exec Connect begins accepting applications. (Continues
through: December 6, 2010)

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 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

o October 18, 2010, Letter with link to Search Calendar and Survey sent via email to
Community from Board President
o October 25, 2010, Cabinet Focus Group - 3:00 P.M.@ ESB
o October 18 - November 26, 2010, Novi Community Survey for Superintendent Profile
available online
o October - November 2010, Advertise Position and Recruit Candidates
o November 2010 separate Focus Group meetings with parents (2), teachers(1), support
staff (1)
o December 10, 2010, School Exec Connect sends Superintendent Profile to Board for
review
o December 15-16, 2010, School Exec Connect interviews Candidates
o January 13, 2011, Board Meeting, Executive Session (closed) School Exec Connect
consultants present candidates to Board of Education and Review board interview
questions;
o January 18-19 & 22, 2011, es
o January 25 & 26, 2011,
o February 3, 2011, Board announces candidate selected
In summary, from the Sep. 30 launch with the search firm, the next superintendent had
accepted the position four months later.

Rochester Community Schools

11th largest, 14,490 students
Five year superintendent Dave Pruneau announced his resignation in mid-October, 2010
to take effect on August 1, 2011. Pruneau had been superintendent for 6 years, moving
to Rochester from the same position at Brighton (MI) Area Schools.
On December 1st, 2010 the Board approved a contract with Superintendent search firm
School Exec Connect, based out of Highland Park, IL. The costs are not to exceed $28,000
plus $5,000 in other expenses.
The Board hopes to publicly announce candidates by March 31, 2011.
The district created a survey to get feedback as part of the process (available here)
Presumably if the Board intends to have a new superintendent in place before Pruneau
has left the district it will take them eight months (maximum). More likely, with a March
31 announcement of finalist, a five to six month process (from search firm retainer) is
realistic.

Bloomfield Hills Schools

61st largest, 5,570 students
In November of 2009, Bloomfield Hills Superintendent Steven Gaynor announced he
would retire as of June 30, 2010 giving them six months lead time. He had been in the
position for 7 years.

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 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

The Board hired new superintendent Rob Glass in April, 2010. Glass had been
superintendent of Dexter (MI) Community Schools and before that had been director of
instruction at Birmingham (MI) City Schools. Glass got the nod over Michael Simeck,
currently superintendent of Berkely (MI) schools.
The district negotiated a salary/3 year contract with Glass after his selection which will
pay him $180,000 plus a $12,000 annual annuity, about the same as predecessor Gaynor.
Search firm School Exec Connect conducted the search. 27 candidates applied for the
position. 19 candidates were from Michigan and 8 from outside the state. Nine applicants
were superintendents, eight were assistant superintendents, three were principals, and
seven were administrators, professors, business consultants or business leaders.
The firm interviewed 13 candidates before bringing five profiles to the Board, most of
whom requested anonymity at this stage of the process and were referred to as
candidates A, B, C, etc.
Some finer details were not available, but this process seems to have taken about five to
six months to conclude.

Grosse Ile Public Schools

234th largest, 1,875 students
Superintendent Dena Dardzinski gave four months notice in the fall of 2009. She was to
leave her post on January 31, 2010
A search process of more than six months attracted 23 applicants from across the
country. Four candidates were invited for initial public interviews, and two finalists, Mike
Murray and Robert Neu, were selected for all-day visits to the district and second
interviews.
The Board offered the position to a Michael Murray, then superintendent of northern
Michigan district Suttons Bay. Unexpectedly Murray rejected the offer in mid-January, the
implication was that his current employer increased his pay and Murray was concerned
about the ability to sell his house.
Prior to the second interview, Neu, superintendent of the Waterford schools, withdrew his
application from consideration. From other research, Neu appears to have beaten out
retiring Novi Superintendent Pete Dion for the superintendent position of Federal Way (IA)
public schools.
Eventual choice Grosse Ile choice William Eis did not apply for the position in the fall due
to commitment to his duties and responsibilities in the Potterville district. With the snafu
surrounding the offer to Murray (and his subsequent rejection and Neu s withdrawal) the
timing for Eis worked in his favor and in early March, 2010 the Board came to agreement
with him.
Had the Murray offered worked, the process would have taken about four months. The
snafu extended it to about 6 months,

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 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

Lake Orion Public Schools and Walled Lake Consolidated

These two school districts are presented together given how intertwined their two situations
became.
Lake Orion is the 37th largest district in state, 7,865 students
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is the 9th largest in the state, 15,803 students
Walled Lake's former superintendent, William Hamilton, announced his retirement on June 3
to take effect December 1st 2010. In 2009 Hamilton was paid $206,000 in wages, plus
benefits for a total compensation package of $292,400.
Five finalists for the Walled Lake position were interviewed in late September:
o Craig Fiegel, Superintendent for Plymouth-Canton Schools,
o Paul DeAngelis, deputy superintendent for Education Services in Birmingham;
o George Heitsch, superintendent in Avondale;
o Kenneth Gutman, superintendent in Lake Orion,
o Christopher Hammill, superintendent in Owosso.
Gutman, who was paid a salary of $149,000 plus benefits in Lake Orion, had just recently
received a three year contract extension from the Lake Orion school board. Nevertheless
when offered the Walled Lake position in October, 2010 Gutman accepted it.
Lake Orion has announced a new superintendent selection timeline to replace Gutman, as
stated in their RFP for search firm services: The Board intends to complete the process of
recruiting and hiring a new
o Publication of RFP, January 13, 2011.
o Due Date for questions and clarifications, January 21, 2011 by 3:00 p.m.
o Deadline for interested firms to respond to RFP, January 28, 2011 by 4:00 p.m.
o Board interview of qualified, interested firms, February 9, 2011.
o Selection of a Superintendent search firm at the Board of Education meeting on
February 23, 2011.
o Submission of candidates for Board of Education interviews, April 2011.
o Board of Education interviews of candidates, May 2011
o Board of Education selection of new Superintendent of Schools, June 2011
Thus Lake Orion s timeline would take five to six months. Walled Lake s also took about five
to six months.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools

4th largest in the state, 19,153 students
As noted above, Plymouth-Canton Superintendent Fiegel was a finalist for the Walled Lake
position. He had been superintendent in P-C since May, 2008.
The P-C Board voted to NOT extend his contract and then subsequently on November 23,
2010 voted to relieve him of some of his duties, essentially signaling the end of his tenure.
The vote was 4-3, which has caused consternation within the public with calls of recalls and

No other data found as to Plymouth- replacement, but clearly they are in

the market.

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 Metro Detroit Public School District Superintendent Searches
Notes on Recent Activity
Brendan Walsh

Currently Posted Superintendent Positions in Michigan

The following Superintendent job notices were posted on the Michigan Association of School
Administrators Website as of February 14, 2011. I am not representing this list to be comprehensive,
but at least this single source listed all of the below.

Position District Posting Expiration

Superintendent of Schools Caseville Public Schools 15 February 2011

Superintendent Lapeer Community Schools Lapeer Community Schools 15 February 2011

Superintendent of Schools Caseville Public Schools 15 February 2011
Superintendent, Quincy Community Schools (MLI) Quincy Community Schools 18 February 2011
Superintendent, Sturgis Public Schools (MLI) Sturgis Public Schools 18 February 2011
Superintendent, Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting 18 February 2011
School PSA, Eastern Upper Peninsula
Intermediate School District
Superintendent, Clio Area Schools (MLI) Clio Area Schools 18 February 2011
Superintendent of West Ottawa Public Schools West Ottawa Public Schools 20 February 2011
Superintendent - Clare Public Schools (MASB) Clare Public Schools 23 February 2011
Superintendent - Houghton-Portage Township Houghton-Portage Township 24 February 2011
Schools (MASB) Schools
Superintendent / K-12 Principal Mid Peninsula School 28 February 2011
Superintendent Rochester Community Schools Rochester Community Schools 1 March 2011
Superintendent - Muskegon Public School District Muskegon Public School District 2 March 2011
(MASB)
Superintendent of Schools - Morley Stanwood Morley Stanwood Community 4 March 2011
Community Schools Schools
Superintendent, Hillsdale Intermediate School Hillsdale Intermediate School 4 March 2011
District, Education Associates of MI District, Education Associates of
MI, LLC
Superintendent - Washtenaw ISD (MASB) Washtenaw ISD 10 March 2011
Superintendent-Pewamo-Westphalia Community Pewamo-Westphalia Community 11 March 2011
Schools Schools- NorthStar Staffing Inc.
Superintendent, Lakeview School District (Battle Lakeview School District (Battle 11 March 2011
Creek)(MLI) Creek)
Superintendent - Hale Area Schools (MASB) Hale Area Schools 11 March 2011
Superintendent-River Valley School District (MASB) River Valley School District 16 March 2011
Superintendent Mona Shores Public Schools- Mona Shores Public Schools 17 March 2011
NorthStar Staffing Inc.
Superintendent-Meridian Public Schools (MASB) Meridian Public Schools 17 March 2011
Superintendent - Lincoln Consolidated Schools Lincoln Consolidated Schools 24 March 2011
(MASB)
Superintendent - Royal Oak Public Schools (MASB) Royal Oak Public Schools 25 March 2011
Superintendent, Almont Community Schools (MLI) Almont Community Schools 1 April 2011

Last revised February 14, 2011 Page 8