Elmbrook board to review superintendent candidates Wednesday

The Elmbrook School Board is poised to meet in a lengthy closed session Feb. 1 to evaluate the individuals who have applied to be the district's next superintendent.

The School Board expects to make a hiring decision before the end of February.

According to Ryan Ray, corporate director of search firm Ray and Associates, the position generated an "outstanding" response.

"We have several very qualified candidates from both within the state and outside the state," Ray said. He declined to say how many candidates will be under consideration during the planned five-hour meeting Wednesday.

"This is in the hands of the board now," Ray said. "We will be there to provide data and answer questions. After that, they will begin the interviewing process."

Board President Tom Gehl said the board will meet as many times as it takes to make the end of February deadline.

A new experience

"We are going to take into consideration all the names and any recommendations from our consultants," Gehl said. "Obviously, we haven't done this in this district for a very long time and none of us on the board has done this here, so that is why we are working with a consultant.

"I'm personally very happy that this will be a decision of the full board of seven and not a committee recommendation of two or three of us," he said. "I'm not sure how this compares to anything else I have done professionally. I have hired people before, but this is a decision that is very important to the community. We need to do this right."

Replacing a 17-year veteran

Superintendent Matt Gibson has held his post for 17 years, and will retire at the end of this school year.

The search for his replacement began in mid-November when the district hosted a series of community engagement meetings to help the consultant generate a profile of ideal candidates. Ray said the meetings were revealing.

"It's obvious that the community is very engaged in the school system," he said. "Elmbrook is known for quality, and we want to help the district get another great leader."

Ray also noted that his firm has seen a number of candidates move across the country to land in the right job.

"Sometimes we have people who know about a district because they work in the same state," he said. "Sometimes candidates moved away from the area for professional reasons and now want to move back."