St. Paul Public Schools has started searching for its next superintendent with the hiring of an executive search firm to create an “executive profile” and recruit candidates for the job.

The district’s Board of Education voted recently to approve the hiring of the executive search firm BWP & Associates to find the next superintendent. The board interviewed three firms at a July 9 special meeting and unanimously chose the firm.

Board members praised what they said was the firm’s familiarity with education in the state and region, and what they viewed as a commitment to seeking detailed feedback from district leaders and the community.

“I think they would really use community feedback and our feedback to create the search,” said board member Jim Vue. “If we’re looking for someone that isn’t exactly like what we’ve done before, I’m the most confident that they would be able to capture that.”

BWP & Associates has done superintendent searches for districts including Minneapolis, Duluth, Edina, Minnetonka and Prior Lake-Savage, according to their presentation to the board. They also did the superintendent search for the school district in Madison, Wis., in 2019.

There isn’t a final contract yet, but the board passed a resolution last week approving negotiations for a contract not to exceed $75,000.

The board also considered hiring Ray & Associates and JG Consulting for the job.

While the exact timeline and guidelines are not yet set, BWP & Associates last week pitched to school board members an outline of the search process.

Under a proposed timeline, the firm in August would start building a profile for the next superintendent for the board to approve. Interviews and selection could happen in December or January.

The process would involve individual interviews with board members to get an understanding of district goals, as well as public forums and surveys of employees and the community to build an “executive profile” to guide the search.

Whoever the school board ultimately chooses to lead the district will take the place of former Superintendent Joe Gothard, who left in May after a roughly seven-year stint leading St. Paul schools for a job leading the school district in his hometown of Madison, Wis.

Under his contract, Gothard was supposed to serve until 2026, and there were many incentives to keep him in St. Paul. The board voted to allow him to break the contract and leave.

Presently, the district is led by interim Superintendent John Thein, who assumed his role in May after Gothard’s departure. Thein also served as interim superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools from 2016-17.

While board members did not go into great detail on what exactly they are looking for in the next superintendent, some spoke positively of Gothard.

“Joe was a good superintendent. So I guess I’m looking for somebody who is a good-hearted superintendent,” said board member Chauntyll Allen at the June 9 special meeting. “I think that we can push (the firm) to find somebody who was a better fit for this specific board and the work that needs to get done in the city.”

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