(From a press release.)
The Central Bucks School District, located in Doylestown, has officially begun a search for its next Superintendent of Schools. To facilitate the search process, the school board unanimously voted to retain the services of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (Bucks IU), Bucks County’s educational service agency. The Bucks IU does not charge a fee for this service for school districts located in Bucks County, although the Bucks IU will be reimbursed by the district for any out-of-pocket advertising or other costs associated with the position posting.
Bucks IU Executive Director Dr. Mark Hoffman offered that the Bucks IU has a strong tradition of supporting school boards in their search for new superintendents. Hoffman said the Bucks IU “takes seriously its commitment to providing high-quality, comprehensive executive searches that lead to the successful appointment of district leaders.”
“Selecting and supporting a Superintendent is one of the most critical tasks assigned to school boards in Pennsylvania. The Bucks IU team looks forward to working with the Central Bucks Board of School Directors and the Central Bucks community during this important process,” he said.
As a part of the search process, the Central Bucks Board of School Directors is soliciting feedback from students, staff, and community members using a survey to gather information on the traits, characteristics, and priorities stakeholders are seeking in their next Superintendent.
A survey is now open for feedback through 4 p.m. on March 8. A survey summary will be shared with the community shortly following the date it closes.
Central Bucks School District staff, students, and community members are encouraged to complete this survey to provide their feedback. The survey data will be used by the Board to help create interview questions and to aid in distinguishing candidates that meet the identified qualifications.
Applications for the position of Superintendent are now being accepted and the job has been posted.
The position announcement has been distributed to a variety of social media sites and national, state, and regional publications including EdWeek, The School Superintendents Association (AASA), the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA), Penn*Link, Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA), Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), Pennsylvania Association of School Personnel Administrators (PASPA), and the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU), as well as county and state email distribution lists and various job boards. The job posting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 24, 2024, with initial interviews of candidates to occur in April and May. The Board’s goal is to name a new Superintendent before June 30, 2024.
Karen Smith, President of the Central Bucks School District Board of School Directors, said, “The Bucks IU brings to us a wealth of experience and knowledge in the Superintendent search process. As an experienced facilitator of Superintendent searches, the Bucks IU will guide us in our search for the next leader of our schools.
“The Bucks IU will work with the Board of School Directors to develop interview questions and protocols, as well as organizing and coordinating the logistics of scheduling and facilitating the various rounds of the interview process. I want to note however that the members of the Central Bucks Board of School Directors are solely responsible for the selection of candidates to advance through the interview process and for whomever is selected as the next superintendent,” she said.
A community forum, to introduce the new Superintendent, will be arranged and announced once the final selection is completed.
