YUHSD begins searching for new superintendent
Plans for the search process to replace Toni Badone were set into motion at the Yuma Union High School District special board meeting Wednesday evening.
In July of this year, Badone petitioned the governing board to allow her to retire.
She was offered a position as the state director for AdvancED, according to a past Yuma Sun article. AdvancED is a nonprofit, non-partisan education analysis organization that reviews of a variety of educational institutions and systems, according to the organization’s website.
The board voted 5-0 to approve Badone’s retirement. She was scheduled to begin her new position in Tempe on Oct. 2. Badone served as YUHSD superintendent for ten years.
Associate Superintendent Gina Thompson has been serving as interim superintendent since Badone’s retirement. To assist with a search for Badone’s replacement, the YUHSD board hired the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA).
Nicholas Clement, a representative from ASBA, said during Wednesday night’s meeting that the process will include eight phases, and the aim is to get someone on board as YUHSD superintendent as close to the start of the second semester as possible.
During the search, he noted that there are two types of goals that should be reached when selecting a new YUHSD superintendent.
“One is an outcome,” he said. “What is the outcome that you want? It’s select the highest qualified, best superintendent to lead Yuma Union High School District forward. That is the outcome goal and that is where we want to get. But, in order to get there we need some process goals . ... The process goals are want to make it as transparent and we want to get as much stakeholder input as possible.”
Stakeholders, he explained, are community members such as parents, guardians, faculty, staff, family etc. In order to get stakeholder input, the YUHSD board voted unanimously to approve a survey — which is to be administered at a date still to be determined — for community members to provide insight on characteristics they wish to see in the future superintendent.
“This would serve as an information item to give you some data that would help as you move through the process,” said Clement. “It will show you what your stakeholders are feeling about the characteristics of your leader-your next leader-which would help in the interview process as we move through this.”
The other aspect of the stakeholder input, he said, would be “building in to the finalist interview day a forum that would be open to the community.”
During that forum, which is to be conducted by ASBA at a date later to be determined, members of the community would be able to ask finalists questions as well as learn more about them. The YUHSD board voted unanimously to approve the forum.
In addition to stakeholder input, the YUHSD board approved a draft profile for potential candidates which included position requirements, salary and information about YUHSD.