Work Session Discussion

It is likely that the work session on Tuesday night will be the time and place that a decision will be made on the search. The work session will be in the Black Box at Fairhope High School.

Other interesting topics will be on that agenda, ranging from the request for sales tax relief, a delayed start to the school year, the block schedule for high schools, and I hope, a real plan to deal with pro-ration.

Hope to see many people there.

Meeting with Search Firms

On Monday evening two search firms presented their credentials and the processes they employ to members of the Board of Education. Both firms, Ray and Associates and BWP, made impressive presentations and I was satisfied that either could provide the services we are seeking.

The presenters both emphasized community engagement in the process and outlined methods for involving stakeholders within the system and in the communities.

At the conclusion of the meeting Board President Roberts indicated the selection of one of these firms will be a topic at the next work session, November 17 in Fairhope. A vote is anticipated at the regular board meeting on November 19.

Selecting a "Search Firm"

On Monday evening, November 2 at 5 pm the board will meet in Loxley to interview representatives of two search firms. The interview session will, I hope, inform the board as to exactly what services each of the firms propose to provide us. The session is an indicator that the board will embark on a search for Dr. Hollinger's replacement, a process that I fully support. I am very grateful to those in Baldwin County who have voiced their support for a thorough search.

The selection process should include work segments such as creating the qualification profile and job description, engaging the community to make certain opinions are heard and support for the process is built, advertising the job, screening candidates, and making recommendations. Each of these segments has many tasks associated with it. It will likely take 6 months to complete the process. I have concerns that the holiday season may impede the schedule.

The two firms are traveling at their expense to make the presentations on Monday evening.

BWP, www.bwpassociates.com , is based in Libertyville, Illinois. Their web site indicates that they currently are involved 9 superintendent searches. Their web site does provide an outline of the process they recommend districts follow and I will be asking questions about how much of the process they recommend did they actually include in their cost estimate. They refer to surveys and and community engagement, things I like, but they do not spell out how they do it and what their commitment is to us. Their web site does offer some interesting insight into the typical search process.

Ray and Asociates is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Their web site indicates 11 current searches are underway and one is for a system comparable in size to Baldwin County. Ray makes reference on the site to services they perform and I have questions about exactly what commitment they make to us. I am hoping for a credible citizen input process and will want to make sure what Ray understands. On their site they say " If constituent input is desired, we have a systematic process that organizes various groups and surveys their expectations for a new leader." rayassoc.com is their website.

It did catch my attention that Ray promotes their ability to recruit "non-traditional" candidates. This is something that does interest me. I have mixed feelings at this time as to whether or not school administrative experience should be a top consideration and look forward to exploring this topic with Ray.

Monday night is a step along the way. There is much more to be done. I will support the firm I believe will listen best to the public and the board and convince me they can craft the best profile for our next school leader. The profile and its expression of the qualities needed in our next superintendent will be our cornerstone, all else will build on it.

Come to the meeting on Monday, listen and tell me what you think.

October 12 Update

Following the work session on Monday night the board discussed selection of a consulting firm to assist with the superintendent search. Board Chair Roberts reviewed her discussions with the various applicant firms and asked for opinions from the members.

While there is not unanimity among the board members there did appear to be a majority interested in interviewing consultant candidates. President Roberts indicated she would contact the three most qualified firms and invite them to interview at their expense. She will set dates for the interviews and those interviews will be open to the public.

The Next Step

The board has a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 8 a.m. in Loxley. The official agenda indicates that the meeting will be for the purpose of approving a line of credit and certain personnel matters.

Mrs. Roberts has indicated that there will also be discussion about the path forward for the superintendent selection process. There are four proposals from search firms that have been submitted. The search firms submitting are: BWP and Associates, N & P, Hazard, Young, Attea & Assoc. and Ray & Assoc.

I do not know if the discussion on Tuesday will lead to anything more than a decision on whether to search or not, or if additional decisions will be made.

Funding and the 10 Mil Match

This post digresses from the superintendent search somewhat but does emphasize what I believe to be an important ability our new superintendent must possess - the ability to inspire action on important educational issues. This article appeared in the Press Register in December 2007, before recession induced pro-ration hit the system. For those who ask "couldn't they see this coming" I believe an answer lies within the article, yes it was foreseen, but obviously we could not muster enough interest in the issue to get the help necessary to avoid the impact we now feel.

The next superintendent must be able to lead politically.

To this date no meetings are scheduled to continue the dialogue about replacing Dr. Hollinger

Match funding worries Baldwin schools By Josh Bean Staff Reporter Sunday,December 23, 2007 Edition: 02, Section: B, Page 01

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BALDWIN COUNTY

Match funding worries Baldwin schools

Officials say soaring cost to gain state funding could jeopardize system's ability to meet county's growing educational needs

By JOSH BEAN

Staff Reporter

BAY MINETTE - What could Baldwin County Public Schools have done with an extra $29 million this year?

Plenty, said Superintendent Faron Hollinger, as he explained a vexing trend: The amount of matching money that the Baldwin school system must supply to receive state funding has more than doubled in recent times, from $12.2 million ($550 per student) in 2001 to $29.3 million ($1,126 per student) this year.

The match is projected to exceed $40 million by 2010, according to figures from the Baldwin system. That worries Hollinger and other local officials who argue that it handicaps their ability to meet the county's need for more schools, classes and teachers.

''What I'd personally like to see is some consideration given to capping it, to the point where it doesn't grow," Hollinger said.

With uncertainty swirling as thousands of Baldwin taxpayers appeal their property assessments and as Baldwin school enrollment rises - the system has added 4,000 students since 2001, for a total of 26,680 - the match could become a pressing issue, Hollinger said.

According to state rules, each of the 132 Alabama school systems must provide the equivalent of 10 mills of local property tax revenue for education funding. A mill amounts to a dollar in tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

The Mobile County Public School System pays the highest match in the state, at $36.5 million - only 24 percent higher than Baldwin's, even though its enrollment is more than twice as large.

For perspective, Baldwin officials often compare themselves to Shelby County near Birmingham, which has roughly the same number of students and is also considered a wealthy, high-growth area. But Shelby County's match is significantly lower at $18 million - $729.94 per student.

Teacher cuts?

Without a cap or some kind of relief, Baldwin school board President Bob Callahan foresees possible teacher cuts.

Baldwin schools employ more than 400 locally funded teaching positions - jobs not paid for by state funds - and that number could be reduced without relief from the 10-mill match, Callahan said.

''We have things like the pre-kindergarten program that's been very effective, or reading coaches in every school, which has paid dividends for students. Those are the kind of things we won't be able" to fund, he said.

Says system is working

Assistant State Superintendent Craig Pouncey and education consultant Ira Harvey, who helped design the Foundation Program, say the formula is working like it should: Wealthier school systems, like Baldwin, have a greater local burden than poor systems.

Pouncey, who oversees the state's education finances, said there was never any expectation of capping the 10-mill match and added that he has heard of no movement to change it.

The 10-mill match reflects the value of a mill, Harvey said, so it's understandable for Baldwin's contribution to grow as property values grow.

Callahan counters that Baldwin pays more, on a per-pupil basis, than small, suburban systems like Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook outside Birmingham. In fact, Baldwin's match on a per-pupil basis ranks second statewide, trailing only Homewood, another Birmingham-area community.

At the same time, he said, Baldwin County has an expanding enrollment, more free- and reduced-lunch students and more transportation costs than those smaller systems.

"Where's the equity in that?" Callahan asked.

Growing sales tax revenue in recent years has helped Baldwin officials handle the growing match, Callahan said, but that is now leveling off. He described it as the end of the ''Katrina Effect," when hurricane-recovery work and the presence of hundreds of evacuee families fueled retail sales.

Property taxes

If Baldwin raised property taxes, Harvey suggested, the school system might not face such a crunch from the 10-mill match. Baldwin property owners pay a total of 12.5 mills for schools every year, while homeowners in Hoover, Homewood and Vestavia Hills pay as much as 53 mills.

Callahan said local voters would never approve a property tax hike, with coastal insurance premiums soaring and annual reappraisals already boosting tax bills. ''Impossible," he said.

Hollinger said he has spoken to members of Baldwin's legislative delegation and state education officials about the need to address the match.

"When implemented back in the'90s, what appeared to be an equitable strategy then may have been effective, but I think it needs to be re-evaluated," Hollinger said. ''I would contend that the inequity may not have been eliminated, but just shifted - and, unfortunately, shifted in our direction."

Supports a cap

New state Sen. Lee ''Trip" Pittman, R-Daphne, said he supports a cap and has been ''testing the temperature" of other legislators to gauge support for such a change, although he conceded that other areas of the state might reject it.

If a cap is not politically viable, Callahan suggested the state could give a discount for interest paid for capital improvements, which would lessen the local burden for high-growth areas like Baldwin County.

Baldwin officials say any additional money is welcome, with many schools bursting at the seams and more than 200 portable classrooms - a record high - in use this year.

Baldwin already has $150 million in construction under way with new elementary schools in Daphne, Robertsdale and Foley and new middle schools in Spanish Fort, Foley and Fairhope. Those new schools will ''barely meet our needs," Hollinger said.

A new elementary school carries an estimated cost of $20 million.

Pouncey sympathizes with Baldwin's plight, but stressed that the rules are in place to make sure all students have adequate facilities.

"You've got school systems in other parts of the state that have schools that were built in the 1920s and 1930s and no capacity to replace them," Pouncey said.

First Meeting August 12

The first meeting of board members to discuss the superintendent selection process was held last night in Loxley. All board members except Wills were present and the meeting was facilitated by Sally Howell, executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards.

Ms. Howell led us through a discussion of a process that focuses upon establishing goals for the system, attributes and abilities necessary to move the system towards those goals, timelines for getting things done. Among the challenges identified were:

• Strong Financial Background
• Credible experience in school setting
• Strong personnel skills
• The need for innovation in dealing with emerging challenges
• Communication, Communication
  

Ms. Howell shared pros and cons of using search firms and consultants to assist with the process. Probably the point she made that most gave me pause was that the candidate pool would be diminished if we did not use a search firm because under Alabama law any resume submitted directly to the board is a public document.

We discussed whether to search at all, or just promote an "heir apparent". In that discussion sentiment was expressed by me and a couple of others that a search is in the best interest of the system even if a local candidate eventually emerges as the choice.

I am, quite frankly, very concerned that some members said that they did not see a purpose in a search but seemed rather to have already determined that one current employee should be chosen.

The discussion continued with Ms. Howell telling us that if we search we should define the extent of the search as statewide, regional, or national. Such a determination has an impact on advertisement and posting.

Ms. Howell stressed that we should not do a sham search, that is we shouldn't know we are going to appoint somebody and initiate a "search" to provide an air of legitimacy to the process. I couldn't agree more.

Ms. Howell then led us through discussion of the need for community input and suggested several formats and approaches that had worked elsewhere.

After the meeting formally ended there was additional discussion about naming a successor from within and avoiding the search process. I want the best superintendent we can find, but we cannot know who that person is unless we go through a genuine and sincere search. The challenges identified are enormous, the stakes are high, and the cost of a mistake or lost opportunity simply too great for us not to do what it takes to get the best.

There was no one from the public at our meeting to observe. Only two staff members attended. Not one principal or PTO or Foundation member was there. I am disappointed. Are you going to wait until you are invited to a "community event" or are you going to watch and monitor what we do and how we arrive at our decision? You could wake up one day soon and find out that a selection has been made and that there will not be any need for your input. Please don't sleep through this.