The Seattle School Board should keep the names of potential superintendent candidates confidential until late in the process if the district wants to attract the best candidates, Ray & Associates, the firm selected to lead the nationwide search, told the board last Wednesday.

Superintendent Raj Manhas announced in October his intent to leave the district when his contract ends in August. The School Board has authorized $175,000 for a superintendent search process and hired the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based company, Ray &Associates.

The company was chosen because it has more than 30 years of experience conducting national searches for school superintendents and has worked with urban school districts similar to Seattle in terms of enrollment size and diversity, including Tacoma. The firm will be responsible for locating potential candidates, screening and background checks and community involvement processes.

Board members said they were concerned about creating a transparent process that kept the public informed, but the firm strongly recommended the board narrow the field to only a few candidates before releasing any of the candidate's names.

"The top candidates won't want to go through the parade of candidates," especially if they have a position with another school district, said Gary Ray, the firm's president. "They are not going to want to do that. It's critical for people to understand that it's a candidate's market."

The board hopes to avoid another failed search like the one in 2003 after Joseph Olchefske resigned. That process fell apart after unsavory details emerged about several of the candidates, leading to widespread public protest. All four candidates eventually dropped out of the running and Manhas, the districts then chief operating officer, was hired.

Ray assured board members that each candidate would be thoroughly researched and screened with a full background check.

"They will be who we say they are," said Ray. "There will be no surprises."

Historically, the board has convened a community advisory committee to help make recommendations and gather public input. But Ray advised against that tack.

In order to have a successful search, the firm needs to talk to the constituents and the board members, but "if you get too many parties involved they start to misunderstand their role in the process," said Ray.

The firm plans to hold several meetings in mid-January, in each of the Seattle School's seven districts, as well as with stakeholders to find out what they want they're looking for in a superintendent. Based on information gathered at those meetings, the School Board will define a "profile" of desired characteristics of a new district leader.

"This firm strongly believes in asking the community what they are looking for in a superintendent to customize a profile," Ray said. "That's something we feel we do very well. We learn an awful lot by talking to the stakeholder groups."

The firm will also interview each of the seven board members individually.

"An open forum would make us more accessible and will give people a chance to have a dialogue with us," said Ray. "It doesn't matter how many meetings we have, we just want to have a good cross section of meetings with the community - that's crucial."

The firm also suggested that the district pay the new school chief more than Manhas' current salary of about $177,000 a year to stay competitive with other cities. Ray said it's not uncommon for districts smaller than Seattle to pay much more than that.

Under a tentative schedule, applications would be due by mid-March and candidates' that best fit the decided profile will be interviewed by the board early April.

Board member Brita Butler-Wall told the firm she's impressed with its depth of experience with urban districts and understanding of Seattle's diverse population.

"I'm confident we'll have a great and successful search with you," said Butler-Wall.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@ballardnewstribune.com