Community members come out for superintendent forum

By James Cavanaugh
Mar. 12, 2009    ·    12:02 a.m.

About 20 Ypsilanti community members came out for Wednesday night’s superintendent search forum.

The forum, intended for all members of the Ypsilanti community, was just one of 11 Dr. Michael Emlaw hosted for various constituencies, including school faculty, staff and students. The forums were designed to help the board draw up a profile of a potential superintendent.

Emlaw, a former superintendent himself, is a search consultant with the Michigan Association of School Boards. The board hired the MASB to assist its search for Ypsilanti’s next superintendent.

School Board President David Bates spoke briefly, explaining the forum was not intended for the board. He touched on the importance of the selection process.

“One of the most important things a board can do is hire a high quality superintendent,” Bates said, before leaving the forum.

Emlaw, who asked for input on required skills, also asked those in attendance to provide comments on personal qualities they’d like to see in a superintendent, challenges the Ypsilanti school district faces and how best to make YPS look attractive to potential candidates.

Amy Doyle said the district should promote its manageable size to potential candidates.

“The size of our school district I think is a real benefit,” Doyle said.

Several people mentioned they’d like to see a potential superintendent take an active role in the Ypsilanti community.

“I’m really looking for someone interested in community involvement,” Kristy Bajcz said.

“It’s got to be a community-oriented person,” Roosevelt Barrett Jr. said, noting he’d also like to see someone who can make tough decisions and can manage a budget.

“I’d like to see someone not only supportive of the students, but also supportive of staff,” he added.

Nancy Good said she’d like to see someone get the job who didn’t see Ypsilanti as solely an “at-risk” district.

“We have a lot of high-achievers that sometimes get the short shrift,” Good said.

Next Monday, Emlaw will present his findings to the board, along with the applications that have been submitted to the MASB. The board will then trim down the number of applications at its March 30 meeting. Interviews are scheduled for the week of April 14.

The board intends to have a superintendent in place by July 1, but hopes for some overlap—so the new superintendent has time to work with the current superintendent, Dr. James Hawkins.

Hawkins has served as interim superintendent since 2005, following the departure of David Zuhlke.

If members of the community were unable to attend Wednesday’s forum, they are invited to download and fill out an input form Emlaw requested the forms be faxed to the MASB, at 517-327-0774, before the end of the week.