By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
A consulting firm with expertise in the public education arena will be tapped to assist Waterford Graded School District officials in a search for a new superintendent.
During a special board meeting Feb. 9, board members voted to enlist the services of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (and laid out a tentative timeline for the search process.
Current Superintendent Chris Joch indicated late last month that he was resigning from his top leadership position at WGSD. He will continue to work for the district through June 30 — the end of the district’s 2014-15 fiscal year.
During Monday night’s meeting, the board entered into a contract with WASB for the superintendent search. The services are expected to cost anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000, although $9,000 was viewed as the most realistic dollar figure.
Plans call for the board to form some type of search committee that would include other district representatives — including parents and other community members.
“This is a key position in the district, so you’ll want people to get involved,” WASB representative Lou Birchbauer said. “It’s time to look to the future.”
Persons sitting on the committee could make recommendations on candidates, although the decision on Joch’s successor ultimately rests with the board itself, Birchbauer said as he discussed his proposed search process.
If all goes as planned according to a tentative timeline, Birchbauer said a new superintendent recommendation could be made by May 1. He or she would officially begin July 1 as the position moves from one district administrator to the next.
While the board had other options available, officials favored working with WASB in the search process.
“To me, it makes the most sense since we’ve already been involved with them,” board member Tom Hoffman said of working with WASB.
WASB has worked with the Waterford Graded district in the past through initiatives such as a recent teacher satisfaction survey that revealed morale overall was low across the district.
Joch joined WGSD in 2006 as assistant superintendent of curriculum. Five years later, he was promoted to the top leadership position in the district when former superintendent Sally Jo Nelson announced her retirement.
The board, which for months has been in the process of evaluating administrative staff members, has publicly expressed gratitude toward Joch in recent weeks as his imminent departure became known.
“His dedicated service to the district will be missed,” board President Doug Schwartz said in a statement. “We are thankful for his leadership that improved both the financial and instructional health of the district during his tenure.”
Speaking on behalf of the entire board, Schwartz added, “We wish (Joch) the best and know he will be an asset to any organization of which he is a part.”
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