KSBA eNews Service, Frankfort, June. 5, 2015
Decision on whether interim commissioner needed could come at state board’s August retreat/meeting
by Brad Hughes
The successor to Education Commissioner Terry Holliday could be named a day or two before his Aug. 31 retirement date. But to achieve that goal, members of the Kentucky Board of Education are going to have a “very intense summer, a really busy late summer.”
Late Wednesday, KBE members signed off on a tentative schedule for the search submitted by Greenwood/Asher & Associates of Miramar Beach, Fla. The timetable calls for the board to take a first look at prospective applicants on Aug. 5; meet face-to-face with up to 12 semi-finalists Aug. 14-15; and then conduct a second round of more intensive interviews with the board’s final candidates Aug. 28-29. At Wednesday’s session, it was noted that the board could make a selection Aug. 29.
The question of whether an interim commissioner will be needed to oversee the Kentucky Department of Education between Holliday’s departure and the start day of the new agency CEO remains undecided.
KBE Chairman Roger Marcum of Bardstown said the board would discuss that issue at its August meeting.
“I don’t know (about needing an interim, but) it sounds like we are going to have a period of time there,” Marcum said. “I think we’ll have a better idea after the meeting.”
When former Commissioner of Education Jon Draud resigned in 2009, two KDE staff members served as interims (one retired several months into the search that led to Holliday’s hiring.) An interim also served when former commissioner Gene Wilhoit stepped down in 2007.
Commissioner traits finalized; Kentuckian an issue
During Wednesday’s meeting, the board finalized the list of important candidate characteristics it drafted at its May 7 meeting (Background story here.) An online public survey and search firm interviews with a dozen leaders of state education organizations endorsed the priorities, according to Marcum and consultant Betty Asher.
“Most of them were in agreement with the traits that you have identified that the new commissioner needs to do and must possess,” said Asher, citing three common themes from her interviews: the need for the next commissioner to be attentive to strong relationships with all stakeholders; adamant support for maintaining common core standards; and a person who could balance the state’s “uncertain political environment” with a contested gubernatorial election in November.
Asher also said leaders she interviewed had a lot to say about whether the next commissioner needs to be a Kentuckian, which would be ideal but not a deal breaker.
“They unanimously said they want the best person for the job. And whether (he or she) comes from Kentucky or elsewhere would be perfectly alright,” she said.
Marcum, who said he read every comment posted by citizens in the online survey, found a recurring theme.
“Folks are very concerned that our next commissioner knows Kentucky. The board has made it clear that’s a priority,” he said.
“Some stated it in terms of that it needed to be a Kentuckian. If it’s a Kentuckian who is the best qualified candidate, I would agree with them,” he said. “I don’t want to eliminate folks from out of state who would have an interest in this position who might be the best qualified, but I want them to have what Commissioner Holliday came to this job with, and that’s an extensive knowledge of Kentucky’s past in education and a good bit of knowledge about what we plan on doing going forward. If they are strong candidates -- in state or out of state -- they will have that level of knowledge. That’s all about coming prepared to do the work.”
Next steps, including vetting finalists
Consultant Jan Greenwood said the formal start of the search will move very rapidly following Wednesday’s meeting, with advertisements and other formal announcements of the search. She said that several of the K-12 group leaders interviewed on the candidate traits offered names of potential contacts. She and Asher said they will spend most of this month and July on the phone “building the pool” for the board to consider at its August meeting.
During a discussion of the different ways to vet applicants, Marcum underscored that part of the process.
“I want to stress how extremely important proper vetting is and that it is done well, especially if we are going to make names public at some point,” he said. “We had a kind of embarrassing situation a few years ago (and) I don’t want that to happen again.”
In 2007, the KBE serving at that time hired an Illinois superintendent to succeed Wilhoit. But Barbara Erwin resigned before beginning the job after news media reports exposed errors in her resume and brought attention to leadership issues in her previous employment.
Greenwood said candidate vetting has changed in recent years, including the option of using firms that specialize in “deep” background checks by former FBI investigators. However, she cautioned that some of those options could run as much as $25,000 over the already contracted amount of $80,000 for her firm’s services.