CUSD ‘leadership profile’ details superintendent it seeks

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Chandler Unified’s Governing Board president took a moment at a planning meeting to acknowledge completion of an exhaustive process.

“This checks off an important box,” Patti Serrano said Nov. 21 at the end of a meeting devoted to an unveiling of a report.

HYA, or Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, is the Chicago-based search firm guiding the mechanics of CUSD’s national search for a replacement for retiring Superintendent Frank Narducci. The Nov. 21 planning meeting was where three HYA staff met with the Chandler board via videoconferencing, presenting the leadership profile report it has assembled.

That report is a 24-page document that’s mostly Chandler survey and forum results and summaries of those results, as conducted by HYA, and can be found on the district's superintendent search page.

HYA associates came to Arizona earlier this month to talk with community members as part of gathering feedback for the profile.

“This is probably the most pages I’ve seen in a report like this,” HYA lead associate John Bash said during the Nov. 21 meeting. “And I think some of our applicants were waiting for this to be produced before completing their recruiting profiles.”

The profile focuses on responses from community forums and surveys this month, mixed into both HYA staff summaries and statistics from the online surveys. An example of a summary of an in-person forum question about culture, trust and communication states “Several focus groups and survey responses reference such issues as 1) a desire for greater clarity and transparency in communications regarding district decisions and 2) greater listening, collaboration and follow-through from district leaders.”

An example of one of the multiple-selection questions in the online survey, “What should the next superintendent’s top three overall priorities be?” The responses included 56.8% choosing recruiting and retaining high-quality staff; 55.4% choosing academic achievement / closing learning gaps (student-outcome governance) and 37.6% choosing school safety and facilities.

Next up in the process is an update from HYA on the search as part of the Wednesday, Dec. 10 regular CUSD board meeting. The online application deadline is Jan. 2, followed by screening, interviewing of semifinalists and then the finalists, leading up to a consideration of a contract at the Feb. 11 meeting.

Late on the afternoon of Nov. 21, the district released a statement about the profile, and how it will help guide interview questions and other parts of the search and selection process. Serrano pointed out the importance of the profile.

“As we begin accepting applications, this leadership profile serves as our compass,” Serrano stated within the district statement. “It helps ensure that candidates are not only strong administrators, but leaders whose values and vision align with those of our community. We are seeking a collaborative superintendent who can build on our strengths, address our challenges, and partner with our community to move our district forward.”

The district’s webpage about its superintendent search can be found by clicking here.

Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as those meet our  Civility Guidelines.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.