Following the departure of Dr. Susan Enfield as interim Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools the Seattle School Board began the process of filling that role. School Board President Michael DeBell has issued a letter detailing the progress made thus far.

Dear Seattle Public Schools families, staff and community,
As you know, the Seattle School Board is in the midst of searching for our next superintendent. We have contracted with an outside firm, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), to conduct a national search to find a leader who is a great fit for our schools and community. Last fall, Elway Research, Inc. conducted two surveys to gather input about desired characteristics in the next superintendent from a broad spectrum of the community, including three town hall meetings held in conjunction with Seattle Council PTSA.

Using the survey results and information gathered from interviews with the Board and community members, the search firm consultants drafted desired characteristics that outline what the community is looking for in a new superintendent, including:
• a visionary, inspirational leader
• an instructional leader who has a proven track record
• a knowledgeable manager
• an effective communicator
For a full list of these traits, visit: http://bit.ly/SuperintendentTraits. Your input into these characteristics is important to us, and we are keeping this in mind as we move forward.

We have been receiving applications and expect the 12-person Search Committee to conduct semi-finalist interviews the week of April 9. So far, we have 40 applicants and the deadline to apply is today. We plan to announce our top three candidates between April 18-20 with a letter to staff, families and a media announcement. The School Board’s process for interviewing the top three finalists includes an interview with the Board, interviews with the 25-person Community Focus Group, school tours and a 45-minute media availability with each candidate. Candidates will spend two days in Seattle during the week of April 23. We hope to have a new Superintendent named in May to start in July. I am confident we will find a great leader to kick off the 2012-13 school year.

You can always find updated information on our Superintendent Search Page, including who is serving on the Search committee, here: http://bit.ly/SuperintendentSearchSite.
Seattle Public Schools deserves a high-caliber leader who exemplifies the leadership traits that you identified for the next chief executive for our 48,500-student system. I am confident we will attract candidates who will lead and inspire, and continue to build on the progress we have made over the past several years.

If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please let the School Board know. We can be reached at schoolboard@seattleschools.org.
Sincerely,

Michael DeBell
President
Seattle School Board