Fort Worth board plans special meeting on superintendent offer

The Fort Worth school board’s offer to hire Joel Boyd as superintendent is the sole action item on the agenda of a special meeting called for Monday.

The board named Boyd, who is superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools, as its top candidate for the job — a choice that drew public criticism at a board meeting on Tuesday.

The Santa Fe school board has scheduled a special meeting with Boyd on Friday to offer him an incentive package in an effort to keep him, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

The 21-day waiting period required by Texas law after an offer has been made expires Saturday. While superintendent candidates in the past have used the period to visit their potential new districts, Boyd has not come to Fort Worth, a decision that worries a teachers’ group.

“Everyone is nervous to go on a blind date when they know nothing,” said Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association. “Teachers consider this a blind date.”

On Feb. 7, Boyd told the Star-Telegram that he imagined a “great city with a lot of schoolchildren” who deserved a “world-class education.” But he said he wanted to keep his focus on his current duties until he was officially hired in Fort Worth. Since then, he has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

It’s more common for a finalist from out of state to reach out to the local community, said Poole and former superintendents, including the head of a statewide superintendent search firm.

Most superintendents, including those from other states who have accepted jobs locally, have traveled to the new city during the 21-day period to explore the area before accepting the job, Poole said.

Bob Griggs, former Birdville superintendent who has conducted dozens of superintendent searches all over the state as a consultant, says it’s the norm for a finalist to do public outreach before signing a contract.

“It is considered the engagement period,” Griggs said. It is a time when the community can see what the candidate is like and the candidate can see if they match the community, he said.

On the other hand, no state law requires that Boyd and other top candidates conduct visits during the 21-day period, said Joe Wardell, superintendent of the Jacksonville school district in east Texas.

Something can always come up, said Wardell, who is retiring after six years. Jacksonville selected Chad Kelly of the Taft school district, as sole finalist on Feb. 11. The board must wait until March 5 to hire him.

Kelly has visited the area to look for real estate, but he hasn’t conducted any districtwide community meetings, Wardell said.

“The board can still back out of it so you don’t want to spend a huge amount of effort getting to be interviewed by the community just in case something were to keep it [the hiring] from happening,” Wardell said.

When Wardell was named lone finalist six years ago, he said, he made it a point to meet with community leaders before he signed a contract.

“I just felt like it was very important for me to learn as much as I could about the area during that time period,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t see any kind of problem or anything. I didn’t think I would. I just think it’s very important to spend that time, getting to know as much as you can.”

Melody Johnson followed Wardell’s approach when she was named sole finalist in Fort Worth in late February 2005. She traveled to Fort Worth from her Providence, R.I., school district to meet with the local teachers union, district volunteers and other city leaders. She said she even queried cab drivers about the school system.

Before signing on, she wanted to determine whether Cowtown was the right fit.

“You want to know that it’s a match because it is like a marriage and this is the engagement period,” Johnson said. “You have to be married to nine people plus the community.”

Texas law requires that school boards keep confidential the names of semifinalists for the job of superintendent so that they won’t be blackballed for seeking work outside the communities they serve. But once the sole finalist is selected, the name of the top contender for the job must be revealed to the public. Then, the public has 21 days to give feedback.

“You have to feel like this is a place, first of all, where you can add value and make a difference and feel a part of things,” Johnson said.

It also gives the public a chance to look at the candidate, Poole said.

“Most of the time, it’s the school board, along with search firms, are meeting in private and this gives the community an opportunity to take a look at the individual the board has chosen as lone finalist,” he said.

Fort Worth trustees said Boyd was selected because of the advancements he had made in the mostly economically disadvantaged Santa Fe public schools.

Trustee Ashley Paz said he was likely the best superintendent in the U.S. Board President Norman Robbins also praised Boyd as a leader who could improve the district’s lackluster test scores.

In Santa Fe, he earns $180,000 a year with a benefits package that increases its value to well over $200,000, the Journal reported. Last year, he received a $9,000 pay increase and a contract extension through the 2016-17 school year.

In Fort Worth, Boyd would be paid $300,000 a year, based on the advertising that was circulated when applicants were being sought for the local job.

Santa Fe has about 13,000 students, compared with 86,000 in Fort Worth.

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Fort Worth board plans special meeting on superintendent offer."