TCUSD is now accepting applications for the position of superintendent based on a set of criteria determined by community input from online surveys and in-person conferences. Interim Superintendent Mr. Richard Tauer created the job posting by collecting information about the qualities Temple City residents envision in their ideal superintendent.
“When we do the selection process for a superintendent, especially in Temple City, I want to make sure that we get community input,” Mr. Tauer said. “Then the school board will take a look at what their community is telling them they would like to see in the next superintendent, desired characteristics such as approachability, visibility, knowledge and experience.”
The edjoin.org post for TCUSD superintendent lists personal characteristics such as trustworthiness, honesty, a collaborative leadership style and good listening skills. Preferred experience includes teaching and administrative and superintendent experience with knowledge in a variety of subjects.
Mr. Tauer is facilitating the superintendent search with the school board, which includes filtering through applications, doing comprehensive background checks on likely candidates and designing questions for the job interviews. The next steps in the process are selecting the strongest candidates for the position, holding interviews with those candidates and the school board and negotiating the final contract. Mr. Tauer expects that the process will be completed in a few months, but he is unsure whether the final contract will be approved by the school board before or after the new board members are sworn in in December.
“The reason that I made such a huge emphasis on getting community input is because I want to make sure that the criteria for the next superintendent is defined by the community, not by the board,” Mr. Tauer said. “No matter which board is in there, it’s probably not going to be any different, because it needs to be representative of the community.”
Mr. Tauer will present his information and explain the search process again during a special board meeting this Wednesday, Sept. 12.
TCHS School Newspaper