Tucson’s largest school district is officially setting out on a search for a new leader.
The Tucson Unified School District Governing Board gave Nicholas Clement of the Arizona School Boards Association the green light Tuesday night to put the call out for candidates by next week.
A successful candidate will be “highly visible, collaborative in leadership as evidenced by involvement in the community schools and district worksites,” a draft of the posting said. “The new leader should have the ability to build strong, cooperative relationships with all stakeholders in the school system.”
The new superintendent will be paid a base salary of between $180,000 and $230,000 to oversee more than 47,000 students in 89 schools and programs.
The pay range is comparable to other superintendents in similar-size districts in the Phoenix area, Clement told board members at the meeting. “We need to stay competitive even with neighboring districts,” said board member Adelita Grijalva.
Board member Rachael Sedgwick said she’d hoped to cap the salary at $180,000, especially because of the state’s constrained budget for education.
Three months ago, the former TUSD chief, H.T. Sanchez, resigned after some board members dissatisfied with his performance sought to remove him in a weeks-long effort. He was paid a base salary of $270,000.
The board struggled for a month to hire an interim, with a top candidate pulling out last minute. On March 28, it named Gabriel Trujillo, an assistant superintendent with the district, as the interim superintendent.
According to a tentative timeline for the search, which the board also approved Tuesday night, TUSD is hoping to screen applicants and identify who will be reviewed by the board in July. Finalists are scheduled to be announced on Aug. 8, but that’s subject to change.
An 11-member committee will be formed to screen the candidates. It will be tasked with identifying top candidates to be forwarded to the Governing Board. Clement, the consultant, recommended that teachers, principals, parents, business owners, support staff and foundation members be included in that committee.
TUSD EXPLORES
BOND ELECTION
In addition to finding a new leader, TUSD has been working to gauge community support for a possible bond election.
The results of a phone survey showed that TUSD would have support in seeking out bonds, but approval waned for the $300 million option, which would cost about $7 more in property taxes for the average homeowner.
Nearly 500 residents living within district boundaries were surveyed. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they would support a $300 million bond, but 61 percent said they would support a $240 million bond and 70 percent said they would support $180 million.
A majority of respondents said it was important to use the money to purchase technology, replace heating and cooling systems, increase student achievement, improve security, install new roofs and for general deferred maintenance. Fewer respondents found upgrading athletic fields to be a priority.
Among the findings of the survey:
- Projects would need to be as specific as possible.
- Respondents were more likely to support bonding if the funds would help the district save operating money.
- Concerns of those who said they would not support bond measures included mistrust for the Governing Board, not knowing what the money is going toward and that TUSD is losing students.
- The district must communicate the consequences of not passing a bond.
“I think the survey results showed more support than I was expecting,” said Kristel Foster, a board member. “We absolutely have to fund at the local level for education because our state is not doing that.”
Mark Stegeman, the Governing Board clerk, said the need for more money is legitimate and that he would support a bond election “sometime in the near future,” but added that he’s unsure this is the right time to do it.
“I’m inclined to think that it’s better to wait and not do it this year,” he said. “I think our chances would go up.”
TUSD considered pursuing a bond election last year but ultimately decided the timing wasn’t right to ask voters to approve a tax increase.
The board will vote on whether to pursue the election at a later meeting.
