OKC district to pay consultants $27,500
Oklahoma City Public Schools will pay a superintendent search firm $27,500 for its help in landing a new leader — a service school board members say was well worth the cost.
With the assistance of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, the board hired Mustang Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel on May 22.
McDaniel, a seasoned administrator, officially begins his new role with the Oklahoma City district July 1.
“That’s money well spent,” board member Rebecca Budd said. “They were so professional and guided the process and provided support and expertise that we didn’t have in-house.”
The district hired the association in February to aid in the superintendent selection and hiring process following the resignation of Aurora Lora.
The association worked with a fourmember board committee to establish a search timeline, advertise the vacancy, respond to inquiries about the opening and schedule interviews with finalists, among other services.
“It was a big task and they did a great job,” said board Chairwoman Paula Lewis, who served on the committee along with Budd, Carrie Coppernoll Jacobs and Ruth Veales.
The school boards association, which provides additional services to member districts that include Oklahoma City Public Schools, has assisted with more than 50 superintendent searches in the last five years.
Other state searches included Tulsa, Norman, Edmond, Bixby, Shawnee, Stillwater, Mid-Del, Yukon, Duncan, Bartlesville, Miami, Perry, Seminole and Wagoner.
“We do everything we can to find the highest quality pool of applicants for the Board of Education to select from,” said Shawn Hime, the association’s executive director. “In doing so, we’re still able to save money in comparison to what the out-of-state head hunter or search firms charge.
“Most importantly, we have a vested interest in Oklahoma schools being successful. One of the best indicators of success for a school district is the superintendent-board of education team and how well they work together.”
Lewis credited the district’s existing relationship with the school boards association — Oklahoma City Public Schools paid the association $5,100 in school membership fees for the 2017-18 school year — with identifying a local candidate of McDaniel’s caliber.
“OSSBA has relationships built in Oklahoma, they knew Sean McDaniel and they could say this guy’s a good fit,” she said. “It didn’t stop them from bringing in national candidates.
“They have a buy-in because it’s their state, too. They want successful superintendents and successful districts and kids to have quality education.”
School board member Mark Mann said approximately 40 people applied for the job and the panel narrowed that number down to six finalists.
“They’ve got a good reach and reputation locally, so we saw a good number of local candidates that might have chosen not to apply otherwise,” he said. “All in all, I think OSSBA did a great job, and I’m very pleased with the candidates and the finalists and super pleased with our new superintendent.”
“I think it’s an excellent fit for the district,” Hime said. “When we talked to the school board and the stakeholders in the district, they said they wanted someone with superintendent experience in Oklahoma and who would take Oklahoma City as a long-term endeavor.”