RIVERSIDE

Wanted: Superintendent of Schools.

Where: Two school districts in southeastern Iowa.

Pay: $150,000 plus.

And just like that, the superintendent search for Highland Community Schools and WACO began quickly Monday night in a Highland School Board work session.

The search will hit the road fast in a competitive market that already features a number of open superintendent positions, including Pekin and Davis County, and is expected to fire up even more over the holidays. The application period opened this week, just one week after Ken Crawford announced to the Board last week that he will take early retirement after the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year.

Two days after Crawford’s early retirement was approved, the Board hired Grundmeyer Leader Services to coordinate the search. Monday, Shannon Bisgard, a retired superintendent of schools and a consultant with Grundmeyer, met with the Board to set the hiring process and timeline.

The Board set a salary range of $150,000 to $170,000.

“I think that’s a healthy range to have,” Bisgard said. “I think that’s a good starting point.”

The Board expects to have a chosen candidate by the end of January, following a day of formal interviews and school tours. WACO board members and administrators are likely to be involved in the hiring and interviewing process, in addition to Highland Schools staffers, students and community members.

The annual salary will be determined by the Board, and negotiated by Grundmeyer, once a candidate is chosen. The new superintendent would likely begin work in June or July, once the current school year is finished.

Required qualifications include an Iowa Superintendent license and “successful experience in building or district administration.”

Preferred qualifications include previous public school administration and previous work with school construction projects. Board Vice President Dan Ruth stressed the point on school construction, considering a $15 million bond referendum for Highland facilities improvements was passed in the November election (the vote is being challenged).

The application period ends January 12 with screening to begin immediately after that date. Bisgard told the Board he expected a strong pool of candidates, but not a large pool.

Crawford, 60, who lives in the Highland Schools district with his wife Dawn, has overseen a year in which Highland moved to a four-day school week and passage of the $15 million bond referendum.

Crawford, a 1983 Washington High School graduate who went on to obtain collegiate degrees at Central College in Pella and Drake University in Des Moines, has split his superintendent duties at Highland and WACO, but spends most of the week at Highland.

Board Action

Before going into a work session, the Board held a formal session to approve a financial services agreement with Tim Oswald of Des Moines-based PiperSandler.

Next Meeting

The board will hold its next formal meeting at 5 p.m. January 13.