FRISCO — The Summit School District Board of Education announced this week that the search for a new superintendent has begun. The new superintendent will assume leadership of Summit School District beginning July 2020 for the 2020-21 school year, with current superintendent Kerry Buhler serving the rest of the current school year.
The board announced it had selected McPherson & Jacobson LLC, a leading education search firm, to assist in the hiring of a new superintendent. This firm will provide guidance on best practices and support the process of cultivating community engagement in the selection process.
The board of education said it is seeking broad input and collaboration with stakeholders to promote an open and transparent process. School district staff, students, families and the community are invited to participate in the candidate search by providing input through an online survey and during scheduled stakeholder input sessions. These community engagement opportunities will be designed to encourage authentic feedback and collect the desired leadership attributes and experience which our community deems important for the new superintendent to possess.
Community stakeholder meetings, facilitated by the search firm, are scheduled to begin Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. in the Summit High School Media Center. Another open community session will take place on Thursday, March 5, at 8 a.m. at the Summit County Community and Senior Center in Frisco. Input from the district’s Spanish-speaking community will be the focus of the session scheduled for March 10 at 6:15 p.m. at Dillon Valley Elementary. A total of 11 sessions will gather input from various stakeholders groups from across the community. The full meeting schedule is posted on the district website at SummitK12.org.
An online survey will be available for any interested people wishing to provide input as well. The link will be accessible on the district website from Wednesday, March 11, through Tuesday, March 17, once the in-person meetings have concluded. The survey is anonymous, and all staff, students, parents, and community members are encouraged to participate.
The board would also like to invite the community to join a special board meeting on Friday, March 6, at 11:30 a.m. to receive additional information concerning the superintendent search process. The meeting agenda is posted on the district website and will take place at the Summit School District administration building in Frisco.