The TUSD Governing Board will select at least two finalists to compete for the job of superintendent Tuesday, but the public may have to wait to find out who the contenders are.
Consultant Nic Clement, who is leading the superintendent search for the Tucson Unified School District, has recommended that the board withhold the names of the finalists as a “professional courtesy,” giving them time to notify their existing employers.
The finalists would be referred to by alpha-identifiers until Thursday, when names and résumés would be released.
But that’s not in the best interest of the state nor the interest of people who are evaluating TUSD, says attorney Dan Barr of the First Amendment Coalition.
“As soon as they were interviewed and the decision is reached that they are finalists, their names and résumés should become public,” Barr said. “The reason is not only to see who these people are but also to evaluate the selection process by the Tucson Unified School District.”
The recommendation by Clement is also contrary to an Arizona Supreme Court ruling from the early 1990s that all “serious candidates” for public positions must be identified and have no right to expect their names to be kept secret, Barr said.
In that case, the Arizona Board of Regents was compelled to release similar materials in its search for the president of Arizona State University.
More recently, Barr represented the Arizona Daily Star in a 2013 lawsuit in which TUSD withheld the names of then-superintendent finalists. The district unsuccessfully argued that the candidates were promised secrecy, and a Pima County Superior Court judge ordered the names and résumés released.
While Clement said he is aware of Arizona law, he said the procedure is used in other searches and that the recommendation was presented to TUSD’s legal counsel.
Clement said he would make the TUSD Governing Board aware of the concerns raised by the Arizona Daily Star prior to the meeting, but the decision ultimately belongs to the five board members.
“I don’t direct the board, I give recommendations and the board determines how they’re going to proceed,” Clement said.
In addition to selecting superintendent finalists Tuesday night, the Governing Board is expected to discuss and possibly approve a schedule for the candidates to meet with employee groups, the transportation and maintenance departments, to visit schools and to take part in a community question-and-answer session as early as next week.
Clement is also proposing that the finalists be narrowed down to one by Aug. 22, at which time the board would enter into contract negotiations.
The identity of that sole finalist would also be concealed. Assuming negotiations are successful, the superintendent would be appointed at a later meeting.
