Recommendation will go to school board on May 31

Contact: Lisa Deffendall • First Posted: Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Five candidates to become the next Fayette County Public Schools superintendent will move forward to the school board next week for consideration after a unanimous vote May 25 by the screening committee.

The six-member committee, representing employees and parents of the school district, spent countless hours reviewing the application packets of 14 hopefuls. Applicants were from 10 states, including Kentucky, and included a diversity of gender, race and professional experience.

Based on input from the community and school board, applicants were evaluated on the areas of leadership and transparency, as well as their commitment to making students a top priority, focusing on student achievement, eliminating disparities, moving the district forward and maintaining fiscal stability.

“I very much appreciate the work of all the members of the screening committee and we value their input and thoroughness in evaluating all of the candidates,” said school board chairman John Price, who was the board member on the committee. “I believe we have a strong pool of candidates to recommend to the board.”

On May 31, the screening committee and superintendent search firm will meet with the Fayette County Board of Education in closed session to formally present their top candidates. At that point, the school board will make a decision about how many individuals to interview.

“We have a strong slate of candidates,” said Tom Jacobson, owner and CEO of search consulting firm McPherson & Jacobson. “The screening committee really worked hard doing their homework and discussed at length as they approached their decision on a recommendation.”

Interviews are slated for the week of June 6 to 10.  Each applicant will spend a full day in Lexington, meeting with community groups, employees and parents, as well as the media. A public forum will be held each evening at 5:30 p.m. where all citizens are invited to come meet the candidates and hear their answers to questions submitted by the community.  Following the forums, the board will conduct its formal interviews.

The board hopes to have a new superintendent seated by July 1.  Current Superintendent Stu Silberman is retiring after seven years with the district. He has since been hired as the next executive director of the Prichard Committee.