The Crookston School Board had a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss the new Superintendent search plan.
Lee Warne of the Minnesota School Board Association joined the meeting via Zoom and led the meeting. Warne informed the board that applications are being received and more are forthcoming. He told the board that it is looking good. “When we first contacted Lee, it was about a day later that I’d already gotten a phone call. I mean, the word got out,” said Crookston School Board Chair Tim Dufault. “And I was in Grand Forks a couple of weeks ago. Another person I knew talked to me about it. So it’s out there. And hopefully, we’re going to get the good candidates.”
The board reviewed stakeholder input information, which included 155 survey responses, a great community response, according to Warne. “We had a good mix of parents, staff, and community members. It was great to see the comments. A lot of it were what we’re doing well,” said Dufault. “There was some that were not doing well. So, we take that into consideration, and we’ll continue working on it. But, yeah, it was great to see that people took the time to fill out those surveys.”
The community has a lot of the same goals as the School Board. “Everybody wants what’s best for the kids,” said Dufault. “I mean, that’s what it comes down to. So it was student involvement, academic success, and, of course, budgetary concerns are always the problem.”
The board discussed the protocol and process for interviews, developed first-round interview questions, an interview schedule, and interview procedures. “I want to peel back some of the layers of the candidates and see what they’re made of. Resumes and cover letters only get you so far,” said Dufault. “I want to see how people handle themselves, thinking on their feet. And what have they thought about our school district before they got here? Have they put any time invested in the interview to look into our district and come up with some ideas?“
The final agenda item is the discussion, decision, and schedule of the steps necessary for the rest of the superintendent hiring process.
The superintendent search timeline and the process were discussed. The first-round interviews will take place on Tuesday, February 10, and Wednesday, February 11, at 4:00 p.m. each day.
January 20 – Application deadline
January 21 – TBD – MSBA conducts screening, preliminary verification of references, and pre-interviews of recommended applicants.
January 22 – TBD – Board members review applications
February 2 at 1:00 p.m. – Board meets to determine finalists, interview questions and procedures, MSBA reviews interview training in the District office conference room
February 10 and 11 at 4:00 p.m. each day – Board conducts first round of interviews (up to four candidates – two candidates each day)
February 13 at 4:00 p.m. – Board conducts reference checks and holds second round of interviews. The board selects the lone finalists and sets the negotiation process.
TBD – Board designee begins negotiations of employment contract
TBD – Board meets to approve the employment contract
July 1, 2026 – New Superintendent reports to work
