Superintendent search will be learning experience

LARGO -- In North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board members picked the district's No. 2 administrator to become superintendent with this condition: Midway through his two-year contract, there will be a national search to find someone else.

In Florida, Duval County picked an Air Force general.

Pinellas School Board members will have a wide range of options to consider as they search for Superintendent Howard Hinesley's successor. Hinesley, the nation's longest-serving urban superintendent, announced last week that he will retire at the end of his contract in December 2004. He has been superintendent since 1990.

Pinellas, with only three school superintendents since 1972, is an anomaly among large school districts, where searching for a new leader has become practically a biennial chore.

Most urban superintendents only stick around 2.5 years. They become victims of controversy, unsupportive boards, tight budgets or increasing pressure to raise test scores. Palm Beach County, for example, has had five leaders in seven years.

In some ways, Pinellas is an easy sell: picturesque beaches, affordable housing market, high test scores, a national reputation for a progressive approach to education.

But the district also faces myriad challenges that could turn off even the most innovative candidates: a controversial choice plan, inadequate funding, difficulty attracting teachers and a high-pressure state grading system.

Educators predict the good will outweigh the bad, with the county likely to attract as many as 40 candidates if it does a national search.

"I think a lot of people would be interested," said Pasco County superintendent John Long. "Whoever takes that job will be inheriting a good, solid organization."

As Pinellas board members embark on a task this county hasn't faced for 20 years, they'll find no playbook that outlines the perfect approach. Experts agree on one point: The Pinellas board should reach consensus about what it wants and who it picks.

"People don't move with 4-3 votes anymore," Hinesley said.

Agreed Wayne Blanton, executive director of Florida School Boards Association, which conducts superintendent searches: "You need to be unanimous, if you can, when you vote on the candidate."

Searches can be national or local, costly or cheap, divisive or unifying. They force school boards to pose and answer difficult questions.

Even as it makes budget cuts, the board might have to pay a new superintendent more than the $170,000 Hinesley makes now. Board members might want to hire a non-educator, an insider, someone who has run a large district, or someone who has implemented a choice plan.

In most cases, a search takes at least six months. The process alone -- with advertisements in national publications, travel and consultant fees -- can cost $40,000 or more. In some school districts, it takes a do-over; School Board members in Portland, Oregon, searched and expanded their search, and then all of the candidates withdrew. They had to start over.

Pinellas' last national search was in 1981, when the board ultimately decided to hire the district's No. 2 administrator, Scott Rose. The day Hinesley was hired in 1990, the board was supposed to decide whether to conduct a national search. Instead, they simply hired him.

In interviews last week, the board members who will make the decision and the candidates in next week's election for one seat were divided about the necessity of a national search.

Board members Jane Gallucci and Linda Lerner favor a national search, as do candidates Mary Brown and Tiffany Todd. Board Chairman Lee Benjamin and incoming board member Mary Russell think Pinellas candidates should be considered first. Nancy Bostock and Carol Cook are undecided.

"I think we should look for someone home-grown," Russell said. "I don't have anybody in mind. I have some people not in mind."

Jade Moore, executive director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, warned that the last time the district did national searches -- in 1972 and 1981 -- board members picked insiders anyway.

"It is not a guarantee that you're going to get a world-class superintendent," Moore said. "The number of people who actually want to work in urban settings is slim and not necessarily that good."

Blanton said that deciding the scope of the search is important, but not the first decision to make.

First, board members must settle on qualifications and the salary range. Will they only consider educators? Or those with doctorates? Or those who have managed districts with more than 50,000 students? Or those who have recently worked in Florida?

And they will have to decide how much -- and in what way -- to involve the community. Some districts develop resident committees to screen applicants; others hold public hearings to find out what kind of leader voters want.

Darryl Rouson, president of the St. Petersburg NAACP, said the candidate pool must be diverse. Dee Opper, an earth science teacher at Kennedy Middle School, said teachers should be invited to give feedback. Brown said a committee of community representatives should conduct the search.

"I think the biggest responsibility is to get into the community and hear from our citizens," Todd said.

What about a timeline? It is likely that no discussions will begin before January or February, when new board members have started.

Should it even start that soon? Hinesley's last day is Dec. 31, 2004, though it might be earlier because of his accrued vacation and sick time. So if the board figures he'll actually leave in November 2004, they might want to offer the job to his replacement in summer 2004. That would give the candidate time to give notice and spend time with Hinesley during a transition period.

Figuring the search takes no more than eight months, the board might not want to get started in earnest until this time next year.

"It's too early to make a decision," Benjamin said. "But at least it lets us know we need to set a process in place."

Who would make a good superintendent?

Bostock is looking for a commitment to choice. Benjamin wants a leader who knows the county's desegregation history. Gallucci wants a superintendent who knows the district's business approach to managing schools and classrooms. Lerner says Pinellas needs a good communicator who will answer philosophical questions about employee discipline and zero tolerance. Russell wants someone who cares about employees and has classroom experience.

Their list goes on.

And one more thing, Cook said: "I want all of that as inexpensively as we can get him."

-- Times staff writers Monique Fields and Stephen Hegarty and researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.

Stability at the helm

From 1965-1972, the Pinellas County School District had four superintendents. Since then there have been three. Each left on his own terms.

1972-1981: Gus Sakkis was deputy superintendent before being named acting superintendent for a year. The board initially named a New Jersey educator the superintendent but contract negotiations broke down; Sakkis, who never applied, was chosen. He retired in 1981 after 31 years with Pinellas schools.

1981-1990: Scott Rose was executive assistant superintendent before being selected superintendent after a national search that cost $12,000. He retired in 1990 to spend time with his family.

1990-2004: Howard Hinesley was Rose's No. 2 administrator for five years before the School Board unanimously chose him instead of conducting a national search. He will retire Dec. 31, 2004, to move closer to his Georgia hometown.

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