Superintendent Search Information
The Ocean Springs School District Board of Trustees is in the process of hiring a new Superintendent of Schools to replace the retiring Dr. Coleman on July 1, 2023. The Superintendent of Schools serves as the highest position in the Ocean Springs School District, and is responsible for overseeing and managing the operations of the school district.
To assist with the superintendent search, the OSSD BOT has hired Hazard, Young, Attea, & Associates (HYA), a national search firm tasked with managing the search process and providing guidance to the BOT throughout the process.
Throughout the process, the board will work with Dr. David Lee, an associate professor of educational research and administration at USM, and the consultant for HYA. Dr. Lee's academic research focuses on public school leadership. He has served in many different positions, including teacher, coach, principal, superintendent of schools, deputy state superintendent, college professor, and local school board member.
The entire search process will take place over several months and has multiple phases, it is the intent of the BOT to have the new Superintendent of Schools selected and hired to start on July 1. The different phases of the superintendent search can be found below:
Phase I: Engage Phase
The first phase of the HYA search process is the engage phase. During this period, HYA plans to build a leader profile of what the school district and community desires in the next superintendent.
HYA will do this by conducting interviews with board members, district and community leaders, administrators, teachers, and community partners. In addition to the in-person interviews, HYA will release an online survey to the community, and host a community town hall open to employees, parents, and community members.
At the conclusion of this phase, HYA will present its findings and proposed leadership profile to the BOT.
Phase II: Recruitment Phase
HYA will:
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Coordinate and place advertisements as selected and paid for by the Board;
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Recruit and contact candidates utilizing state and national networks;
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Correspond with candidates regarding the search process, timeline, Leadership Profile and desired characteristics;
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Interview candidates;
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Conduct reference checks;
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Identify best qualified candidates;
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Prepare application materials of selected slate of candidates for the Board consideration.
Phase III: Select Phase
HYA will:
- Present a slate of candidates, the number of candidates to be determined by the Board with a recommendation from HYA;
- Conduct the Interview Workshop and provide materials and protocol to ensure informative effective Board interviews;
- Schedule interviews for the Board with selected semi‐finalists and finalists;
- Facilitate Board discussion to narrow candidate pool after each round of interviews;
- Coordinate and provide investigative background check(s) of candidates to the Board President as selected and paid for by the Board
Phase IV: Transition Phase
HYA will:
- Communicate with all unsuccessful candidates at the close of the search and the appointment of the new Superintendent;
- Hold a transition meeting with the new Superintendent (after employed) regarding information learned throughout the search and next steps in the transition process;
- Offer other transitional services to be considered by the Board and if desired, paid for by the Board.