Board hires JG Consulting to manage superintendent search
On September 9, 2021, the Board of Trustees for the SDUHSD held a special board meeting to consider the selection of a professional search firm to assist in the hiring of our next superintendent for the District.
Six firms submitted proposals, and the Board decided to hear presentations from three of them. After hearing from those three firms, the Board voted to hire the firm JG Consulting. The vote was 3-1, with Trustee Katrina Young being the lone dissenter.
I have used the services of many executive recruiters in my 40-year business career. Selecting the best firm to conduct a search involves many considerations, and the weight applied to any one factor is subjective. Sometimes you are looking for a narrow focus, sometimes a broader perspective. Sometimes the individual recruiter matters more than the firm, and sometimes vice versa. Sometimes you value experience, sometimes connections are more important.
After reading the proposals and listening to the presentations, in my view the JG group was the best choice. There were several things that impressed me. The President and CEO, Mr. James Guerra, has over 15 years of experience in education systems, and the firm has placed over 100 positions, including in Houston, one of the largest school districts in the country. They’ve also recently placed a superintendent in San Marino, California. The fact that they are based in Texas is, in my mind, an advantage. This will bring us a different perspective that we wouldn’t get with the other two finalists. California’s different education law is not an issue when it comes to selecting a search firm. This is irrelevant to the selection, and I don’t believe that a base in Texas would be a disqualifier.
Mr. Guerra also advocates for a dedicated webpage to communicate with constituents about the search. This can include an updated timeline, the results of constituent meetings, surveys, survey results, and more. This will facilitate transparency and build confidence with our constituents. He was the only finalist to mention this, and I believe JG to be the most technologically sophisticated of the companies.
Aside from their national focus and their understanding of the importance for transparency and communication, I was impressed by their experience both in the education space and the broader government sector, their executive coaching and training practice, their work in education technology, and the overall communications skills exhibited during the interview. One of the other firms mentioned that they offer a mentoring service after a hire. I believe that it is more important to provide professional development in advance of becoming a superintendent, as JG does. I don’t think a mentoring service would be utilized afterward.
The other two finalists are fine firms, I'm sure, but JG’s experience and philosophy best fits our districts' needs.
For anyone interested, I suggest you watch the short clip here from the board meeting where Trustee Young and I each gave our reasoning for our choices.
JG will begin their search process immediately, starting with discussions with the Board next week.
Teachers Union President Duncan Brown falsely accuses Board President Muir of an undisclosed conflict of interest
An interesting development took place during public comment period, when the leader of the Teachers Union, Mr. Duncan Brown, accused Board President Mo Muir of having a conflict of interest with one of the bidders, Turnkey Strategic Relations.
A conflict of interest exists when a Board Trustee or a member of their family would receive a personal financial benefit in a proposed transaction. This doesn’t exist here, and Mr. Brown has no reason to think that one does.
Here is the Board Bylaw that discusses conflicts of interest.