In a bid to find a new superintendent for the Malverne School District, the district Board of Education called on the community to help aid in the search, holding two virtual hour-long forums on Zoom on Oct. 1 and encouraging residents to offer their opinions.
The current superintendent, Lorna Lewis, is set to retire next June, after heading the district for five years. Jeanne D’Esposito, president of the school board, said that the community’s response to the open forums was overwhelmingly positive.
“We had some good participation in both of the online forums,” D’Esposito said. “We got a lot of feedback. We had a thought exchange where people could comment on each other’s opinions and agree or disagree.”
Deborah Raizes, a consultant from Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, a firm that has conducted more than 100 superintendent searches, organized the forums and produced a report summarizing them. Raizes also met with Malverne district students of all grades for more than two hours.
During the virtual forums, participants repeatedly mentioned wanting a superintendent who would bring “longevity” to the position. According to D’Esposito, a superintendent that stays on for a long period of time has been beneficial to the district, overseeing a number of projects that came to fruition over time. But keeping one person in the job isn’t easy.
The forum participants were not given a list of candidates for the position, and the school board made it clear that the process of appointing a superintendent is confidential. D’Esposito said that she did not yet know who the candidates were as of Oct. 17. Since the search is strictly confidential, only the firm hired to conduct the search knows who is being considered at this time.
The board will interview the candidates, at which point the firm will have made its final recommendations. A whittled-down list of candidates will be presented to the board in the coming weeks, and they will interview the finalists in mid-late November before making a decision around January 2025.
D’Esposito said, “The forums were a helpful part of the process, and community members said they were excited to offer their input.”
Finding a new district superintendent can be a particularly challenging process due to the high expectations and diverse skill set required for the role.
Superintendents must navigate a complex mix of educational leadership, community relations, and political acuity while managing significant budgets and educational outcomes. The job requires someone who can balance the often-competing interests of parents, teachers, students, and school boards while guiding the district through academic, financial, and operational challenges.
Moreover, the role demands visionaries who can adapt to rapidly changing educational standards, address equity issues, and manage crises such as teacher shortages or pandemic-related disruptions. With a growing focus on accountability and measurable success, the pressure on finding a candidate who can deliver results from day one is immense.
Additionally, the recruitment pool for superintendent candidates is limited, as fewer professionals are seeking these high-stress leadership roles.
Nationally, many districts report a shortage of qualified candidates, with a shrinking number of educators advancing into these positions due to the high burnout rates associated with the job. This makes the search highly competitive, and districts often turn to external search firms to find candidates.
The need for a candidate who can align with the specific culture, values, and needs of the district adds another layer of complexity. The process can take months and often results in interim leadership, further slowing down progress in critical educational initiatives.