While gathering public input on Staunton Schools‘ next superintendent, BWP & Associates has enjoyed their time in Staunton and seen changes since the school system’s previous search eight years ago.
That search resulted in the hiring of Dr. Garett Smith, who announced in early February his intention to retire on June 30, 2025.
At Staunton School Board‘s regular meeting Monday night, Dr. Kevin Castner and Dr. Wayne Harris of BWP presented results of their gathering public input via 20 community meetings and an online survey. The results will be available on the school system’s website.
Castner said that 431 responded to the survey and 144 individuals, including local students, participated in public forums.
“The whole idea of the community engagement — the people did not hold back,” Castner said.
BWP had hoped to receive broader participation from the Staunton community than it did eight years ago, and the community did not disappoint in sharing its thoughts on Staunton’s next school superintendent and the challenges the school system faces.
“While we were here for just a few days, members of the community should be engaging with members of the school board [continuously],” Castner said of the process going forward.
BWP will make recommendations from a pool of candidates, which includes 17 individuals from eight states so far, but the decision will be up to the school board.
According to Castner, the survey results were a good balance between internal, or school staff, and external, parents and community members, as well as students. He believes the results to be a “composite of” Staunton.
In the next five years, 68 percent of survey respondents said that funding will be a challenge, 51 percent said educational opportunities and programs will be a challenge and 34 percent said that recruiting and retaining qualified staff will be a challenge.
Staunton‘s strengths were identified in the survey by 69 percent of respondents as being excellent staff and teachers and 46 percent said a supportive community.
“I think some of these things were different eight years ago,” Castner said. The survey results are important because they reveal how the community views the school system.
Skills survey respondents would like the next superintendent to have are communications and public relations (80 percent), interpersonal (58 percent) and managerial (50 percent). Characteristics should include a commitment to the community (59 percent), good judgment (54 percent) and integrity (53 percent).
Ninety-eight percent of survey respondents consider experience in strategic planning to be important, while 97 percent said experience in instruction, 94 percent said experience in personnel, 94 percent said experience as a teacher in a classroom and 93 percent said experience in a multi-cultural environment.
“The quantitative data allows us to make meaning out of the responses that came from the survey,” Harris said.
Harris noted that 69 percent consider the school system’s excellent staff and teachers a strength and 46 percent consider a sense of community a strength.
“We heard many examples of partnering, of individuals working [together],” Harris said.
Survey respondents expressed concern about funding when it comes to recruiting qualified staff in a competitive job market, educational options and retaining the staff they have when other school systems might lure them away.
The survey also revealed that the community hopes to maintain the forward momentum it has gained in light of whatever federal changes come to public education in the United States.
BWP created a leadership profile to highlight top candidates in the superintendent search. The profile includes traits of a visionary instructional leader, effective communicator, collaborative manager and personal qualities. The school board will review the list as its Draft Leadership Profile in its search for a new superintendent.
According to input from public forums, Staunton wants a dynamic, progressive leader, who demonstrates the ability to build on the community’s strengths and possesses the expertise to expand professional capacity and knowledge of school staff. The right individual will also have the ability to cultivate unity and collaboration in the school community, and the courage to make decisions that prioritize students’ best interests.
For a visionary instructional leader, the individual will have expertise in K-12 instruction, support diverse educational programs, and respect and value input from teachers.
An effective communicator for Staunton Schools will be a consensus builder and collaborator who is an active listener and transparent, as well as politically astute.
“I must say much of what we heard mirrored what is going on with your current superintendent,” Harris said of Smith.
A collaborative manager will seek constant improvements in school operations, demonstrate knowledge of operations, possess expertise in strategies to attract and retain staff, and have previous experience with implementing long-range plans.
The personal qualities of Staunton‘s next school superintendent will include being a visible, active member of the community, respect for the community’s history, honesty, integrity, ability to prioritize the best interest of all students, ability to cultivate a positive culture of trust and respect, and ability to maintain strong working relationships.
The application deadline for individuals interested in superintendent of Staunton Schools is May 5, 2025. BWP will then review all applicants, check references and offer four to six of the top candidates to the school board as recommendations. The Staunton School Board will choose who to interview, make a selection and present the new superintendent to the community. The new superintendent will begin in July.
Castner suggested the school board hire someone else to do a background check on top candidates, such as Staunton Police Department, “because we don’t want any surprises.”
Related stories:
Dr. Garett Smith announces retirement from Staunton Schools
BWP and Associates leads search for next Staunton Schools Superintendent
Staunton Schools encourages resident input in search for new superintendent
BWP gathers Staunton resident input in search for new school superintendent
Share
Rebecca Barnabi
