Schools
School District Prepares for Change in Leadership
Results of community focus groups presented to school board May 23 in search for new superintendent.
The Cuyahoga Falls City School District has sought community input in its search for a successor to Superintendent Ed Holland.
A total of 35 community members, school-district staff and administrators participated in a series of face-to-face discussions that began May 10. Finding Leaders, a consulting firm the district hired to assist in finding a new superintendent, conducted its last focus group at Cuyahoga Falls High School on May 23 just prior to the meeting of the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education.
Consultant Paul Pendleton presented preliminary results of the focus-group findings to the school board.
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"Among other things people are saying is, 'We want a visionary. We want somebody who has a great mental vision of the future. We want a communicator - somebody who is able to collaborate with the city, with staff members and with the community. And, we want somebody who is really connected with and really loyal to Cuyahoga Falls,'" Pendleton told school-board members.
Although indicating overall satisfaction with the school district, particularly its "Excellent" rating and successful union negotiations, focus-group participants expressed concern about its long-term financial outlook and other elements.
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"Even though a levy was passed, that doesn't make you financially solvent for a long period of time. And, people are also concerned by one of your own realizations: That this Board of Education doesn't work and play well together," he said.
The number of participants in each, separate focus group ranged from a single member to up to 18 individuals. Board members questioned whether the views sampled represented an accurate reflection of community sentiment.
"This isn't necessarily a consensus of what might be out there," said David Rump, Board vice president.
The focus groups provided a "snapshot" composite of qualities the community desires in a new educational leader, Pendleton said.
If efforts to recruit a new superintendent in a "timely fashion" are unsuccessful, a viable option may be to consider interim leadership during the upcoming academic year, Pendleton said.
The next meeting of the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education will take place at 6:30 p.m. on June 13 at Cuyahoga Falls High School.