Cape superintendent search heats up

Cape Henlopen school board has been working since July to select a new superintendent.

Nineteen candidates from Delaware and five other states have applied for the job, testifying to the district’s reputation statewide and beyond.

The process began with hiring the University of Delaware to help with the search. Next came a series of community meetings, when the public was invited to discuss qualities and qualifications the district should seek. From there, the job posting was developed; district residents can expect their concerns will also be used as a University of Delaware team evaluates and ranks applicants.

The board, which in the past year appears to have regained community trust lost under the previous administration, has sought public input from the beginning of the selection process.

That same spirit of community involvement should carry through to the final selection stages.

Once the candidates are ranked, the board will begin evaluating them, a process that will eventually produce a small pool of finalists. At that point, it certainly makes sense that the candidates would be presented to a group composed of staff and parents, whose rankings would provide one more piece of information for the board to consider in making its final choice.

While the board itself includes parents and an expert in school administration, the ability to address a board is not quite the same as the ability to connect with parents and teachers. As elaborate as the search process has been to this point, the board would be remiss if it did not offer the candidates a chance to display their leadership qualities before teachers and parents and to listen to the responses of teachers and parents to the candidates’ efforts.

Final selection of a candidate rests with the board, but embracing input from the public at every stage of the process will solidify public trust in the board and its selection.