BENTONVILLE -- Fifty-three people met the deadline Friday to apply for the School District's vacant superintendent position.
Travis Riggs, board president, provided that number Tuesday after receiving it from Ray and Associates, an Iowa-based firm the board hired in May to assist with the superintendent search.
Timeline
Important dates ahead in the Bentonville School District’s search for its next superintendent:
Monday: Ray and Associates will meet with the School Board to finalize interview questions and procedures. Top candidates will be presented to the board, and the board will select those candidates it wishes to interview.
July 26-28: The board will interview top candidates (first round).
Aug. 1: The board will interview finalists (second round).
To be determined: The board will offer a contract to its top choice for superintendent.
Source: Staff report
"I'm glad to see it," Riggs said about the number. "I would hope our district would attract a lot of candidates."
Who those people are, where they are from and the qualifications they possess are all confidential at this point because a private firm is handling the applications.
The board is scheduled to meet with Ray and Associates representatives Monday to review the top candidates and select those it wishes to interview.
The first round of interviews is scheduled for July 26-28. A second round of interviews with finalists is set for Aug. 1.
The superintendent's job became available when Michael Poore left last month for the same position in the Little Rock School District.
Debbie Jones, hired in February as Bentonville's deputy superintendent, is serving as interim superintendent. Jones has said she would not apply for the superintendent's job on a permanent basis.
The board used BWP & Associates of Libertyville, Ill., in 2010 when it last searched for a new superintendent. Twenty-four people applied at that time.
Riggs acknowledged quantity does not equal quality but said he is excited about this year's number of applicants.
"I have to believe, since 2010, we're much more on the radar of other communities across the country," Riggs said.
The district has grown by more than 2,500 students -- about 18 percent -- since the 2010-11 school year, making it the fourth-largest district by enrollment in Arkansas with 16,060 students as of last fall.
The board decided to proceed with a superintendent search in May despite some concern over the timing. Summer is generally considered a difficult time to do a search, because many potential candidates already are committed to their respective school districts for the coming school year.
Ryan Ray, corporate director for Ray and Associates, offered the board his thoughts on the matter in May when the board was interviewing search firms.
"Some people will say it's too late to start a national search right now," Ray said. "But there's also people out there who will tell you there are still great candidates looking for a position."
Ray also said the Bentonville job would be one that would attract applicants from across the country.
"You're a great district; you have wonderful things going on with it. You're a high-performing district. That's what a lot of superintendents are looking for," Ray said.
The Rogers School Board hired Ray and Associates in January to help find a replacement for retiring Superintendent Janie Darr. That job attracted 62 applications. Marlin Berry, who had been superintendent of the Olathe School District in Kansas for six years, was chosen for the job.
Ray and Associates' base fee for performing a search for Bentonville is $18,000. Certain other expenses associated with travel, lodging, meals and printing may be charged to the district as well.
NW News on 07/06/2016