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Superintendent Search Services

If you are looking for a school leader, look to a leader!

The MASC team that will assist you includes present and former school committee members who truly understand a school committee’s concerns when seeking a new school Superintendent or other school leader. With over 30 years’ successful search consulting experience, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees has provided technical assistance and/or complete search management to more than 200 member school districts across the state. We uphold our commitment to you, our members, by maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability. As your Association, MASC is committed to helping you find the best leader for your particular district.

MASC search consultants are available to assist the school committee through all phases of the search process, through technical assistance or full search services, by:

  • helping you to plan your search process
  • advising you on how to weigh your alternatives
  • assisting you in finding an interim superintendent while you search
  • conducting focus groups to determine what you and your community want
  • developing promotional materials for your district
  • crafting the job description that meets the needs of your district
  • designing and placing your advertisements
  • recruiting your candidates
  • developing your candidate screening process
  • managing administrative details of your search
  • suggest appropriate options for interview questions
  • maintaining contact with your candidates
  • following through on references
  • assisting in planning your site visits
  • conducting post-contract workshops

 

To learn more about available MASC superintendent search services, contact our office.

View and apply for current MASC searches plus other school job openings.

 

National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers

By choosing to work with MASC on finding your next superintendent, your district will also benefit from the national network of superintendent search consultants that MASC is a member of.

The National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers (NASS), sponsored by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is comprised of over 100 leading search consultants in more than 40 states who help school board associations throughout the United States identify the best superintendent candidates for their particular district. As a member of NASS, your MASC search consultant can tap into this broad network of experience and resources and collaborate with colleagues to share vital background and reference information on candidates in other states.

Given NASS’ extensive work with school boards throughout the country, its team of professionals is uniquely positioned to understand the serious governance challenges facing school districts and the leadership qualities necessary to guide educational institutions through these turbulent times. NASS stands ready -- as the most experienced affiliation of search professionals anywhere – to undertake a national campaign to find your district’s next superintendent.

 

The Search Process

The superintendent search process can be divided into five phases, with the primary responsibilities of the search consultant and the school/search committee clearly delineated. MASC consultants work with the school committee to design as flexible a process as possible while advising the School Committee on legal and regulatory consequences. The chart below outlines the responsibilities and progress of a typical superintendent search from start (Phase 1) to finish (Phase 5).

Note: Key school committee roles are in green.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Phase 5

Leadership Profile Development

Candidate Recruitment

Candidate Screening

Committee Evaluation of Finalists

Appointment

         

Identify success factors, major issues, expectations

Advertise vacancy

screen candidates against selection criteria

Assist School Committee in preparation for finalist stage and schedule interviews

Select next Superintendent and announce appointment

Develop job descriptions

Coordinate nominations and applications

identify semi-finalist candidates

Conduct reference checks on finalists

Inform other finalists

Approve leadership profile

Build candidate files

Inform successful candidates and schedule interviews

Assist Committee in preparation for site visits and final interviews

Assist School Committee in contract preparation

Conduct focus groups

Conduct reference checks on applicants

Deliver successful candidates to School Committee

Conduct site visits

Negotiate contract and announce agreement

Report to School Committee

 

Inform unsuccessful candidates

Conduct final interviews

Close search and process materials

Approve selection Criteria

 

Provide orientation and assist search committee

 

Assist with transition to new leadership

Compile salary and benefit data

 

Select finalists

 

 

Prepare publicity materials