GMR/TC Joint Powers Board begins combined superintendent search work

A group of Greenbush-Middle River and Tri-County Board members now has a name and it’s the GMR/TC Joint Powers Board. It’s role at this time is to unite to find a new superintendent, one to represent both schools. The group has had a couple public work sessions so far and, aided by the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA), has opened up the application window until March 31.

GMR Board members Shane Kilen, Brandon Kuznia, and Allison Harder, and Tri-County Board members Holly Burkel, Jenalea Duray, and Mark Koland sit on this board. The group named Burkel the chair of the group, Kilen the vice-chair, and Koland the clerk. It will alternate the head roles between the school boards each year.

Speaking of alternating, the group will alternate meeting sites between the two districts, something it has already done. It hosted its March 9 work session in the Tri-County School Library and its March 14 work session in the GMR School Library. Currently, the group is meeting on a more regular basis as it works to hire a superintendent, but Gary Lee from the MSBA is thinking the group will meet quarterly when everything is in place.

At the work session on March 9, each board member highlighted something that stands out about the other district. For example, Kilen mentioned how Tri-County has people easy to get along with and Duray highlighted how GMR has strong community support.

The two boards also highlighted the characteristics they are looking for in a superintendent. Kilen mentioned understanding the financial side of the role, Koland said honesty, and Kilen and Duray both highlighted being able to interact with the public, including parents and students.

The board also discussed a potential salary range for this superintendent. It decided on what district would handle the checkbook for the joint powers board, going with Tri-County.

It discussed how to do superintendent evaluations. The group decided to do one joint evaluation and come together with concerns.

At this March 14 work session, the group reviewed the first and second round interview questions that Lee put together. After reviewing these questions, Lee went over some interview training.

The current superintendent hiring timeline is as follows:
March 31: Application deadline
March 31-April 5: MSBA will do own vetting of candidates and will bring recommendations to the board of who to interview
April 5: Board decides who to interview
April 7 or 8: First round interviews
April 12: Second round interviews
April 13-18: Finalize contract
April 19: Approve contract

To see the full story, read the March 16 issue of The Tribune or the March 17 issue of the North Star News in print or online.