Bridgeport school board turning to Nebraska firm for superintendent search

BRIDGEPORT — The Board of Education is another step closer to hiring a permanent superintendent of schools.

The school board voted unanimously Monday to enter into contract negotiations with McPherson & Jacobson, a search firm based in Nebraska, to help identify candidates for the district’s top administrative job.

Board Secretary Joseph Lombard said the board’s search committee selected the company over three other unnamed firms that had also submitted proposals to organize a nationwide search.

Lombard said he believed the firm clearly “outshined” the other options and noted company officials agreed to lower the search fee following negotiations with the board. He did not reveal how much the contract is expected to cost the district.

“It all seemed to come together very well,” Lombard said.

The board has been searching for a top administrator since former Superintendent Michael Testani announced last August that he would leave the district to run the neighboring school system in Fairfield. Dunbar School Principal Alyshia Perrin has been serving as interim superintendent since Testani’s departure.

The vote marks the third time in seven years the board has eyed McPherson to help find a superintendent, though it was not selected in the other instances. The firm was passed over for another company in 2016 and was nearly hired to organize the district’s most recent search in 2019.

At the time, a McPherson consultant told the board the firm would organize community forums, look for someone experienced in urban districts and tailor the search to district needs. But despite voting to enter into contract negotiations, the board ultimately decided to forgo a nationwide search and abruptly elevated then-acting Superintendent Testani to the permanent position.

Board Chair Bobbi Brown said she supported McPherson over the other firms vying for the contract due to the costs associated with the firm and the company’s pledge to seek public input during what is expected to be a monthslong search. Brown said the exact price of the contract is still being negotiated, but she described it as a “good medium” compared to the other options.

Brown said the board plans to update the community about the search during future meetings and noted residents are welcome to address the ninemember body about what they would like to see in the next permanent superintendent during the public comment portion.

“This is very, very important,” Brown said. “This is the person who oversees the district and I think parents should be really involved in this process, as well as community leaders and even students.”

McPherson is no stranger to public schools in Connecticut. The company, which has about 100 consultants across the country, has previously worked with Groton’s school system and is organizing the ongoing superintendent search in New Haven.

The firm was also behind a botched 2014 search in New London where a candidate who had lied on his resume was appointed. Company officials have said the candidate was not recommended by the firm but was included among the finalists due to a request from local officials.

According to McPherson’s website, the search will include a multi-step process that will begin by identifying the desired characteristics of a future schools chief and seeking input from community members.

From there, consultants will begin advertising the position and actively recruiting educators for the role. After receiving applications, they will then conduct reference checks before narrowing down the pool to a handful of finalists.

The finalists will then appear before the board for individual interviews, which the search firm will help coordinate. Once a superintendent is selected, the firm will also establish performance objectives for the new administrator.

“Our team of consultants, working in conjunction with the board and stakeholder groups the district identifies, will implement a systematic, comprehensive process culminating in the hiring of the most qualified candidate for your district,” company officials wrote.