What qualities are important for a superintendent in a small, rural school district?
That's a question school board members and a consultant asked about 30 community members on Tuesday night as the public input process started in the district's superintendent search.
Board members met all day Tuesday with staff and students, asking for their ideas, as well.
"It's been a fun process," said Janie Hoover, president of the school board.
Community members sat in groups of five or six at a table and listed qualities they would like to see in the new leader for the school.
There were several qualities that were common among the groups, such as exemplary leadership, experience in a rural district, family centered, team builder, experience with school finances, and knowledge of current education thinking.
Staff members said they want a visionary leader who wants to live and stay in Bayfield and will be visible in the community, said Daniele Hillyer, a school board member.
Students who met with board members said they want a superintendent with a sense of humor, Hillyer said, noting that one soccer player said the leader should be "athletically inclined."
The board tweaked that to say the candidates should be interested in student activities.
Hillyer said financial experience also is a plus.
"It's a huge, important job," she said. "It's kind of hard. It's a variety of everything."
Board members said they also want to find someone who appreciates Bayfield's culture and doesn't want to come in and change everything immediately.
The district also is starting a search for two principal positions for Bayfield Primary School and Bayfield Intermediate School. The district will start advertising the positions this week, and applications are due Feb. 14. Screening will start Feb. 16, with interviews with three committees on Feb. 23 and 24. Principal Diane Sallinger is retiring at the end of the year from BES, and the new intermediate school is under construction.
The district is asking for volunteers to serve on the screening committee or interview committee, or suggestions for good parent or teacher representatives. Residents interested should contact Dot Clemens, the district's human resources director, by Thursday, Feb. 1 at 884-2496.
