Search Firm to Meet Community Today to Help Find Successor to Superintendent Joel Shapiro

The search for the successor to South Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Joel Shapiro, who is scheduled to retire next year, will take its first public step Wednesday evening at a meeting in which community members get to tell a professional search firm what they would like to see in the next chief of one of Southern California’s leading school districts.

The firm, called Cosca Group, was hired Sept. 17 for a maximum fee of $19,080 by the district’s governing board to help replace Shapiro, who is scheduled to retire in February 2014 because of health reasons. The search firm, which was instrumental in Shapiro’s selection for the superintendent’s job four years ago, will meet with community members from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. today in the District Office Board Room at the SPUSD headquarters, located at 1020 El Centro St.

The meeting is aimed at brainstorming answers to three broad questions, according to an “input form” distributed by the school district for those unable to attend today’s event (click here to access the form, which must be completed and e-mailed to Cosca Group Partner Steve Goldstone no later than Thursday, Nov. 14):

• What do you consider to be the greatest strengths of the South Pasadena Unified School District?

• What do you consider to be the greatest needs or critical issues facing the South Pasadena Unified School District?

• What leadership qualities and characteristics do you wish to see in the new Superintendent in order to support the strengths and deal with the needs/critical issues indicated above?

Wednesday’s meeting follows an Oct. 24 brainstorming session that the Cosca Group conducted with the Board of Education. In that meeting, also held in the District Office Board Room, Board of Education members outlined an extensive list of SPUSD strengths and critical issues as well as which qualities they expect to see in the next superintendent.

“We don’t edit, we don’t editorialize, we’ll just be bringing back to you whatever we hear in the community about what they [community members] would like to see in the new superintendent,” Steve Goldstone, a Cosca Group partner told the governing board at last month’s meeting.

Here’s a sample of the district’s strengths brainstormed by board members during the meeting (each point is followed by the name of the board member who proposed it):

• The community highly values education and supports the school district. (Richard Sonner)

• The community is very active in raising additional funds for schools—examples include the parcel tax as well as fundraising activities by the SPHS Booster Club and the South Pasadena Educational Foundation. (Elisabeth Eilers and Richard Sonner)

• High-performing district, with a diverse socioeconomic, racial and ethnic mix of students. (Richard Sonner)

• A culture of accountability in a high-quality administrative team. (David Adelstein)

• Commitment to professional development and a focus on supporting teachers and staff. (Elisabeth Eilers)

• Cohesive community that works well with the Board of Education. (David Adelstein)

Here’s a sample of the district’s critical issues and needs brainstormed by board members during the meeting:

• Transitioning into Common Core state standards. (Richard Sonner)

• Shortage of space as city’s population increases. (David Adelstein)

• Challenge of integrating technology into the curriculum. (David Adelstein)

• Maintaining momentum during times of change, including a new governing board or new superintendent.

• Data-driven district that openly discusses how to become better. (David Adelstein: “If we don’t have a superintendent who appreciates that style, we’ll have a problem.”)

• Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers. (David Adelstein)

• Fiscal prudence. (Richard Sonner: “We’ve been deficit-spending for a long time.”)

Here’s a sample of the characteristics expected of the new superintendent in order to build upon the district’s strengths and needs:

• Focus on a strong curriculum. (Elisabeth Eilers)

• Great communicator. (David Adelstein: “It’s one of the things Joel [Shapiro] is very good at, and it’s made a huge difference.”)

• Adept and adaptive administrator who keeps an eye on district-wide projects. (Joseph Loo)

• Engagement with a wide variety of community organizations. (Richard Sonner)

• Innovator. (David Adelstein: “Especially as funds become smaller, we’re going to have to think out of the box.”)

• Ethical, hard-working, trustworthy. (Elisabeth Eilers—“just another Joel, with a better back,” according to David Adelstein.)

• Effective mentor to teachers and staff. (Elisabeth Eilers)

• Someone who values diversity. (David Adelstein)

• Someone who’s in the job for the long term, as opposed to using it as a career stepping stone. (Elisabeth Eilers)

Here is the timeline for the Cosca Group’s search and selection process, which will also include direct, one-on-one meetings with key community organizations and individuals, such as SPEF, the PTA Council, teachers, administrators and City Manager Sergio Gonzalez:

• Nov. 20: Meeting with the governing board to examine community feedback.

• Nov. 25: Begin active recruitment of candidates for the new superintendent.

• Jan. 8: Screening of applications and convening panel of experts to identify the most qualified candidates.

• Jan. 18: Governing board interviews with selected candidates.

• Jan. 21: Second set of governing board interviews with selected candidates, if necessary.