Springfield hires firms for 4 searches

School district will spend $31,000 to seek candidates for leadership jobs.

The Springfield city schools will spend $31,000 to conduct regional searches to fill four administrative positions for the 2013-14 school year.

Two search firms have been hired to search the Midwest to fill positions vacated by retirements in the Springfield City School District, said Superintendent David Estrop, who said he believed changes to the State Teachers Retirement System prompted some people to retire rather than take a financial hit.

“The simple truth of it is this: You’re as good as your people,” he said. ‘These are all key leadership positions within the Springfield City School District. We always look for the best.”

Many districts hire search firms to look for their top two administrators, the treasurer and the superintendent. It’s less common to hire a firm for other administrative positions, said Jeff Chambers, of the Ohio School Boards Association, which also does searches for Ohio schools.

“I don’t know a whole lot of districts that are doing that,” he said. “That’s a little different.”

BWP and Associates, based out of Libertyville, Ill., will conduct searches for the campus director at Springfield High School and the director of elementary education.

Chris Shaffer, the current campus director, has announced his intention to retire at the end of the year. Director of Elementary Education Dona Starrett retired previously and was rehired to her position; she will leave at the end of this year.

BWP, which conducted the search that brought Estrop to Springfield, will be paid $21,000 for both searches and the district will cover expenses.

Finding Leaders, out of Valley View, Ohio, will conduct two more searches at $5,000 each. The firm that brought Human Resources Director Stacey Tipler and Director of Student Services Andrea Townsend to Springfield last summer will look for a director of special education and an athletic director.

Athletic Director Mark Stoll also will retire at the end of this school year. Lydia Pizner retired as the special education coordinator last year, but when the district couldn’t find someone to fill the position, she returned for one year as the interim. Estrop said the district moved the position to a director and increased the pay, hoping to attract more candidates.

High-level administrative jobs aren’t as attractive to potential employees as they were in year’s past and it’s become harder to find people with the correct qualifications and experience, said Estrop.

BWP’s list of current searches includes superintendent searches; Finding Leaders’ list has some principal and director positions on it for public schools.

Estrop said that while searching for what he calls “cabinet” administrators regionally with a firm might be new to Springfield, he did it at his previous district, Lakewood City Schools.

“I think there’s a growing recognition, particularly in districts where these jobs are big jobs, there’s an increased responsibility that goes with it,” said Estrop. “I think there’s a growing recognition with the pool being rather small and shallow that you’re better served to look regionally and cast your nets widely so you get the best candidate pool you possibly can.”

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