School board should set up committee to study superintendent needs

Editor:

"Not who - but what?" is the question.

Within the next year, the Columbia County Board of Education will hire the next leader of our ever-growing school system. The question should not be who that person is going to be, but what Columbia County needs this leader to be.

It does not matter whether he or she comes from within our system or from somewhere else. What matters the most is that this person meets the very needs that Columbia County has. This is the very reason I implore the current board to establish an ad hoc committee to define the criteria to be used to evaluate candidates for the superintendent's position.

We cannot look for "whom" until we know "what" kind of person we are looking for. This committee should be made up of former school administrators (not necessarily employed in Columbia County), teachers, parents, business owners, retirees and students. The chairperson of the committee should not be a hand-picked former administrator with a pre-determined agenda.

While this committee is meeting, the board should develop the potential compensation package for the new superintendent. Once this committee has established the criteria of what Columbia County needs, they should report to the Board of Education with what they feel are qualifications for the system's next leader.

While these items are being worked on, the board should advertise via all available avenues that the position of superintendent is open, and the board will be accepting resumes.

All of the prerequisites could take place over the next five months. In January, the old and new board members can begin reviewing the resumes and make their decision based on what Columbia County needs.

Lee Muns, Martinez

(Lee Muns is a candidate for Columbia County School Board chairman.)