The Crookston School Board held a special meeting Monday morning to accept the resignation of Crookston High School Principal Eric Bubna. They also heard from Superintendent Jeremy Olson on the plan to search for and hire a new principal for the 2021-2022 school year.
Olson thanked Bubna for his service and outlined the plan to hire a new principal. “First of all, we want to thank him for the years of service he gave our school district,” said Olson. “Secondly, and what most of the meeting was about was designing the search process for the next high school principal. We know this is going to be a key position for a district’s future success. We want to be intentional about our search process and what that looks like. Our search process would begin today through April 5 for the application process. And then, looking to have first-round interviews on April 9, and second-round interviews on April 15. At that point, we’re going to be seeking to negotiate with whoever is selected through that process. We do want this process to be comprehensive. We are trying to involve parents, staff members, and students as we try to understand what the profile of the next high school principal for Crookston is.”
Olson said the district wanted to act quickly to start the hiring process due to the high number of districts currently seeking principals around the state. “The reason we’re moving as quickly as we can on this process is there is a lot of activity right now statewide for high school principalships,” said Olson. “So, as those search processes conclude, that’s going to limit our pool. We’re trying to strike the right balance between having a long enough window to allow people to apply and make sure we’re generating a lot of interest. But not too long as to start losing high-quality candidates because your top-tier candidates are going to be quickly disappearing as other search processes conclude throughout the state. We want to recruit and retain a high-quality person here at Crookston High School.”
Olson and the school board plan to hold meetings with staff, parents, and students about the opening. “The board has established a tentative profile on what we’re looking for – leadership traits, disposition,” said Olson. “The key that we’re looking for is a person that comes in focused on educational excellence. Focusing on taking our high school to that next level and helping us move our entire district and high school to that next level. We want to get some involvement from every aspect, all the stakeholders, of our district. Not only our community members, but our parents, staff, and students. Everyone is affected by this decision and we want to have their involvement as we select the right person.”
Olson added, the Crookston School District is seeking a high-quality individual looking for a good place to work. “We’re looking for a high-quality person,” said Olson. “So, if anyone knows someone that is a qualified high school principal that’s interested in a district that’s really focusing on moving to the next level, tell them to apply. It’s a good place to work.”
High School Principal Search Time
Vacancy: Thursday, March 11
Advertisement of Position: March 15th-April 5th.
School Board Meeting/staff/Parents: TBA-Process on profile/Advertisement
- Meeting with staff about the profile (TBA)
- Meeting with parents about the profile (TBA)
- Meeting with students about the profile (TBA)
First Round Interviews: April 9th: (5) teachers/(2) admin assistants/(2) school board members/superintendent
Second Round Interview: April 15th Interview: A building tour by (3) members of the student council
