We’re excited to share an update on the process for our search for the next leader of South Lane School District. The South Lane School District Board of Directors met in executive session on February 28, 2025, with consultants from Human Capital Enterprises to review applications for the superintendent position. From this review process, the Board advanced six semi-finalists for 1st round interviews, which were held on Friday, March 7th. As previously announced, applicant names will not be disclosed publicly.

After careful consideration, the Board has selected four finalists. These finalists will participate in interviews with two confidential community panels—comprised of staff, parents, and students—on Tuesday, March 11. Feedback from these panels will be collected and shared with the Board to inform their decision-making process ahead of finalist interviews.

The Board will then conduct in-person finalist interviews in executive session on March 17-18, 2025. After selecting a lone finalist, a third party will conduct a comprehensive background check.

Pending the successful completion of this process, the Board anticipates taking action on the finalist’s contract and appointment at a Special Board Meeting in early April. At that time, the district will publicly announce the next Superintendent of South Lane School District. We appreciate the community’s engagement and look forward to sharing this important news soon.

Greetings, South Lane School District Community 

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to share a quick progress update on the search for our next Superintendent. 

The recruitment window for applications will close on February 18, 2025. In the following weeks, the Board will review applications, references, and preliminary interviews and will convene on February 28th in executive session to select candidates for first round interviews. They will be invited to interview virtually with the board on March 7th. From those interviews, the Board will select finalists. 

It is a priority to the Board that our school community is involved in this critical decision. A volunteer Community Engagement Interview Panel will be convened to interview finalists virtually on March 11, 2025. This confidential panel of 12 constituents will provide group and individual feedback to the Board regarding the finalists. The Board has determined the composition of the panel, which will be facilitated by our search consultants, Human Capital Enterprises. It will include:

• Three parents, including representation from our Latinx community, selected by lottery
• Two licensed staff members, one selected by the licensed association and one selected by lottery
• Two classified employees, one selected by the classified association and one selected by lottery
• One elementary building leader and one secondary building leader, selected by lottery
• A representative from the Early Learning Center (assigned)
• A Cabinet representative (assigned)
• Two student representative to the Board (assigned)

To ensure a variety of perspectives, we will seek to ensure representation across all buildings in our district.

If you are interested in participating on the panel in one of the lottery-selected positions, please complete this Application Form no later than 12:00 noon, Friday, February 14, 2025. If selected, you must be available to participate all day (8:00 am to 5:00 pm) in virtual interviews with candidates on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Those selected by lottery will be notified on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. We hope that you’ll consider playing a role in this critical process for the South Lane School District. 

Thank you!

Taylor Wilhour, Board Chair

The South Lane School District Board of Directors has finalized the Next Superintendent Criteria which is publicly available here.

The Board would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community members for their participation in the focus groups and online community survey. The feedback received was instrumental in developing this final criteria which will be used in recruiting and selecting the next SLSD Superintendent.

The South Lane School District (SLSD) Board of Education and Human Capital Enterprises (HCE) have completed the Public Engagement Phase of the superintendent search.

The Board would like to thank the students, staff, families, and community members who provided their valuable feedback and input through 1:1 interviews, focus groups, and an online survey. Participants were asked about the district’s strengths, challenges, and the personal and professional qualities, attributes, skills, and experiences desired in South Lane School District’s next superintendent.

Based on the input received, HCE has developed a draft Next Superintendent Criteria which will serve as the criteria for recruiting and selecting the next superintendent. The Next Superintendent Criteria draft document has been posted on the district website for community and public review.

Members of the community are invited to provide additional public input on the qualifications to be included in hiring a new superintendent during a Special Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. We anticipate that the Board will finalize the Next Superintendent Criteria document after public input, review and discussion at that meeting. 

Feedback on the draft criteria can be emailed to superintendentsearch@slane.k12.or.us and is due by noon, Monday January 20, 2025 for the Board’s review.

If you have questions about the process, we welcome you to connect with us at  superintendentsearch@slane.k12.or.us

Reminder: Share your Input for Our Permanent Superintendent Search

As you know, we have begun searching for our permanent Superintendent and want to hear from you.

A confidential survey is now open to gather your priorities for our next Superintendent. It should take no more than 15 minutes to complete and is available in both English and Spanish. Please take a moment to share your thoughts by clicking here: complete the survey. The survey will close on Thursday, January 9, 2025.

Your feedback will be invaluable in helping our search consultants work with the Board to create the "Next Superintendent Criteria" that reflects our district's needs and support a board recruitment effort, both regionally and nationally.

Your voice is essential to this process, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time and input!

Good Afternoon,

As you know, we have begun the search for our permanent Superintendent.

We want to hear from you! First, a confidential survey is now open to learn about your priorities for our next Superintendent. You can click here to complete the survey published in English and Spanish. It should take at most 15 minutes to complete. The survey will close on Thursday, January 9, 2025

Our search consultants will facilitate focus groups with different South Lane stakeholders during the first week of January. Two of the focus groups will be specifically for parents/guardians. The Focus Groups will be virtual and take place on Thursday, January 9, beginning at 5:00 and at 5:45. The meetings will be 40 minutes, with the consultants engaging with you on some key questions about South Lane SD. Because interest is anticipated to be greater than the number of spots available in the focus groups, participation will be by lottery.

Please complete this form to place your name in the lottery. The interest form must be completed by 12:00 noon on Thursday, December 23, 2024. If you are selected, you will receive a notification on Friday, December 24, 2024, so you will know to hold the time on your calendar in January. 

Feedback from the survey and the focus groups will support the search consultants in working with the Board to develop South Lane SD's "Next Superintendent Criteria" in order to reflect and promote the district while supporting regional and national recruiting on this search. 

Your voices are important to the Board, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Choosing a new superintendent is the most important decision a school Board can make. For all of us, it’s personal. We care deeply about South Lane School District, and we are committed to finding the right person to serve as the next permanent leader serving our students, families, staff, and community. We are also committed to a transparent process with regular communication to increase awareness and encourage community participation in the Superintendent search. This message is an update on what we’ve accomplished so far with our search firm Human Capital Enterprises, along with what comes next in the process.

The search process is outlined below:

Planning phase: 

The first step was to select a search firm, and to finalize a search timeline and process. On November 19, 2024, the Board selected Human Capital Enterprises (HCE) as our firm, and on December 9th we met and established a timeline for all of the activities of the search. HCE’s consultants will help SLSD’s Board of Education with the process and will conduct a nationwide search for candidates. Planning phase: Complete

Public engagement phase:  December 16, 2024 – January 21, 2025.

The next step is to determine the qualities, skills, and experiences we want in our next superintendent. During the engagement phase, HCE will conduct small focus groups of students, staff, parents, and the community to learn deeply about the district and our aspirations and opportunities, and to understand the background, skills, attributes and characteristics that we are looking for in our next leader. This information will also be sought through a survey of all SLSD constituents. All of the information gathered will be used to develop the “Next Superintendent Criteria” profile, which will be central to the recruiting, screening and interview process. The search firm consultants will present the initial profile during a special Board meeting on January 21, 2025.  The board will edit, finalize, and adopt the Next Superintendent Criteria for the next SLSD Superintendent.  

Recruiting phase: January 22 – February 18, 2025

In hiring a search firm, school boards not only want a trusted partner who can run a process, but who can also identify and find exceptional talent – and in South Lane’s case, to entice great leaders who match SLSD’s Next Superintendent Criteria to consider this remarkable opportunity. HCE will activate their regional and national networks to attract a pool of candidates that fit the adopted leadership profile, including targeted recruitment of candidates who may not be looking for the next opportunity, but are a unique “fit and match” for SLSD.

Selection phase: February 20 – March 18, 2025

There are several steps to this phase, including preliminary interviews of top tier candidates by the search firm consultants, Board consideration and deliberation of an initial slate presented by the firm, first round interviews, and finalist interviews. Finalist interviews include two components -- Board interviews and a Community Engagement Panel interview. HCE and Board members will also conduct expansive telephone reference checks, while an investigative agency will conduct comprehensive background checks.  The Board anticipates deliberating to determine the sole finalist in March, 2025.  Contract negotiations will then begin with a formal public announcement shortly thereafter.

Transition phase: April – June, 2025

Although the Superintendent successor’s official start date is July 1, 2024, HCE will advise the board on transition activities which may include on-boarding days in South Lane School District prior to the start date.  The Board’s vision is to build a transition period for deliberate succession planning between the current superintendent and successor superintendent, including community and district “meet and greet” opportunities, to support SLSD in the best possible way.  

We appreciate your feedback and active participation in this process. Your voices are important to us and will play an integral role in the selection of our next superintendent. We look forward to continuing this work with you.