KALAMAZOO, MI -- The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education will begin interviews for the district’s next superintendent in the coming weeks.
Candidates for superintendent will do video interviews with members of the board at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Administration Building, 1220 Howard St., according to a search timeline released by the district.
Second-round interviews will be done at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, and Wednesday, Feb. 5, according to the timeline.
The finalists in the search will return to the board room at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, and Wednesday, Feb. 19. The board could decide to choose the next superintendent after the interviews on Wednesday. If no decision is made, the board will reconvene at the same time Tuesday, Feb. 25, to make a decision, according to the timeline.
All of the dates on the timeline could be changed or canceled as needed, the board said.
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The search for a new superintendent began in May after long-time leader Michael Rice was chosen as the next state superintendent. The district chose Gary Start, deputy superintendent of business and finance, to serve as interim superintendent while the board operates a search with the Michigan Association of School Boards.
At a number of community forums and in an online survey, representatives from MASB learned that values of collaboration and responsiveness are what the community hopes to see in the district’s next leader.
Input collected from stakeholders, a step in the search process, identified diversity as the district’s number one strength. Other perceived strengths included a supportive community, the district’s teaching staff and the Kalamazoo Promise, which offers college scholarships to KPS graduates.
Respondents said the new superintendent should have a collaborative leadership style. Candidates should also have successful experience working with diverse communities, affirm and value staff members and be “exceedingly responsive," according to responses compiled by MASB.
The Michigan Association of School Boards is a nonprofit that represents the interests of local and intermediate school boards. The Michigan chapter of the National School Boards Association, the organization engages in advocacy efforts and offers support services, like training for school board members, to member districts across the state.
