An international recruitment firm with 70 years of experience and an office in Calgary was the unanimous choice by the Palliser Board of Trustees to lead the search for a new superintendent.
The company, Boyden, will be paid a flat rate of $50,000 plus expenses. Among information guiding the search process will be hundreds of comments from Palliser stakeholders who answered a single question: What is the most important quality the new Superintendent of Schools should possess to be successful and best serve the students of Palliser Regional Schools?
Board Chair Robert Strauss said both the applicants for executive search services and the volume of submissions from stakeholders to the quality question were impressive.
“I am grateful to all who took the time to submit responses to our question,” Strauss said Tuesday, April 25, following the board’s regular meeting. “The survey results will be shared in full with Boyden as part of our search.”
Strauss said he expects stakeholders will find their comments echoed in an ideal candidate profile which will be part of the search process.
The anonymous, online survey was open from March 27 to April 7 and received about 470 responses. Another dozen responses were submitted on paper. To invite a broad spectrum of respondents, a link to the survey was shared with Palliser staff, posted on the division and school websites, and advertised on Facebook to users from Coaldale to Calgary.
Many of the responses named more than one quality. To ensure each was considered, the responses were separated into individual qualities. Overall there were more than 660 characteristics or ideas submitted.
Once grouped into synonymous terms, key themes emerged.
The top qualities in order of the number of mentions are shown in the chart attached chart.
Qualities that were only mentioned once or submissions that did not answer the question were not included in this summary.
Strauss said the verbatim comments would be shared with Boyden and he expected the consulting firm would begin its work almost immediately.
While the search continues, the board voted to extend the contract of Acting Superintendent Dr. Garry Andrews to Aug. 31, 2017.
A second board request for proposal for ombudsperson services has closed and will be considered when trustees meets for another policy review workshop May 16.
Fore complete highlights of the April 25, 2017 board meeting, please download a pdf here.
Summary of Survey Results
