Mason City Board of Education provides update on Superintendent hiring process

MASON CITY — The Mason City Community School District Board of Education would like to provide an update on the superintendent hiring process. The board recently met with Dr. Trent Grundmeyer with Grundmeyer Leader Services to review the candidate pool at a board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The position was posted from December 15 to January 16 and resulted in 17 candidates.

The pool included seven out-of-state candidates. There were 13 male candidates, three female candidates, and one candidate choosing not to identify a gender. Three of the candidates hold a terminal degree (Ed.D. or Ph.D.), while four have seven or more years of administrative experience.

All 17 candidates were presented to the Board of Education in closed session on February 1. After the review of candidates’ application materials, references, licensure verification and social media, six candidates were selected for screening interviews that will take place February 10. The screening process will allow the board to further evaluate the candidates’ qualifications for the position and narrow the process to three finalists.
The search consultants will set up and facilitate the screening interviews and finalists will be publicly named shortly after the screening interviews take place.

The desired qualifications that were identified from the stakeholder survey will continue to drive the hiring process. Those desired qualifications included:

● Recruits, hires, supports, develops, and retains effective staff
● Builds family, school and community relations through meaningful engagement
● Promotes a community of care and support for students, teachers, and staff
● Effectively manages district resources
● Promotes academic achievement throughout the district for all learners
● Strong instructional leader focusing on continuous improvement

The board will soon reach out to community members to serve on the team conducting formal interviews with the finalists, which will take place February 22. The new superintendent will begin leading the Mason City Community School District effective July 1, 2022.