Nebraska firm picked to find new school superintendent

A search firm based in Omaha, Neb., was the surprise pick Tuesday to help the Clark County School Board find the successor for departing Superintendent Walt Rulffes.

Before McPherson & Jacobson was chosen to work with the Clark County School District, the nation's fifth-largest school system with 308,000 students, the largest school districts that had hired the firm had about 30,000 students, the company's owner, Tom Jacobson, said in a telephone interview .

Past clients include smaller systems such as the Gurdon School District in Arkansas, with 824 students, and Franklin Public Schools in Nebraska, with 329 students.

Jacobson said his model for recruiting candidates works well with either big or small school districts.

Since the firm's founding in 1991, it has placed more than 360 superintendents and other school executives in jobs in 17 states. About 65 percent of the superintendents placed by the firm in the past 10 years are still in those positions.

McPherson & Jacobson has estimated a fee of $46,200, but the cost for the district's search will be more than $50,000 because of advertising and travel.

School Board members were skeptical about McPherson & Jacobson's ability to recruit candidates for a large urban district. Member Chris Garvey asked, "Where are your big fish?"

Board member Sheila Moulton said she originally thought "no way" but was impressed by the presentation of Steve Joel, a McPherson & Jacobson consultant who is superintendent of public schools in Grand Island, Neb. Joel will become the superintendent of public schools in Lincoln, Neb., this fall.

The vote was 5-2, with School Board members Linda Young and Larry Mason in opposition.

Mason said the search firm was "small-time."

"Once again the inexperience of the board has shown through," Mason said in an interview. "But I can live with it."

The two other finalists were Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates of Glenview, Ill. Both boasted of records in recruiting candidates for school districts with more than 100,000 students.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates was the Clark County School District's search firm in 2000 when the School Board hired Carlos Garcia to be the superintendent.

Rulffes, who replaced Garcia, has announced that he is retiring Aug. 31.

At the meeting, Moulton got assurances from all three search firms that they would treat fairly district employees who apply for the superintendent's post.

McPherson & Jacobson will meet again with the School Board on June 14 to plan the search. Joel said the board's goal of hiring a new superintendent by Christmas should be workable.

While many have voiced skepticism that the next superintendent would leave a job in the middle of the school year to come to Clark County, Joel said many contracts allow superintendents to leave their jobs if they give 30 to 60 days' notice.

School Board President Terri Janison said she was persuaded by McPherson & Jacobson's commitment to "policy governance," which Joel called a "gift" that a School Board can give to a superintendent.

Policy governance establishes a delineation of powers, with the board setting the policies and the superintendent implementing the policies. It is controversial locally because some think policy governance gives the superintendent too much power.