Hope Board hires firm in search for superintendent,

HOPE, Ark. — The school district’s Board of Education agreed Thursday in a special meeting to contract McPherson Jacobson, a consulting firm out of Omaha, Nebraska, for search services in its hunt for a new superintendent.

“They have a proven track record of working with schools in Arkansas and the entire U.S. through this process,” said Board President Linda Haynes in a statement. “We are confident we will have a quality pool of applicants from within and outside of the district, and they will assist in the rigorous process of vetting applicants.”

All inquiries regarding applications should go through them, she said.

McPherson Jacobson, LLC, specializes in executive recruitment and superintendent searches for school districts nationwide, and operates nine recruitment offices in Arkansas, according to the company website. It has been conducting executive searches in public education since 1991.

The board also delayed the appointment of a board member for Zone 3 with the agreement of Zone 3 Representative Margaret Moss to remain with the board until after the superintendent’s position is filled. Mrs. Moss has announced she will retire from the board this year but has not formally stepped down.

The board agreed Thursday to a draft for a process that will start with advertisement of the superintendent’s position and developing stakeholder and community information. A timeline for stakeholder and group meetings will follow.

A closing date for applications is anticipated to be in mid-May with a selection date for finalist later in the month. Interviews toward a selection of a new superintendent are anticipated to be held at the end of May and first of June.

The draft process anticipates the new superintendent will start July 1.

Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hart recently accepted the superintendent’s position at Searcy, Arkansas.