Superintendent Search Firm Invited To Next School Board Meeting

A national search for a permanent leader for Rochester Community Schools has officially begun.

On Monday night, Board of Education members agreed to post an advertisement for a superintendent, with a start date of Jan. 1 or "negotiable." 

A representative from School Exec Connect, the search firm that has agreed to help Rochester find a permanent replacement for Fred Clarke, has been invited to the board's Oct. 8 meeting.

Clarke resigned last week after 14 months on the job. School Exec Connect, which helped find Clarke in 2011, agreed to help board members with a new search free of charge. The district will be responsible for travel and advertising costs, but the search firm will not charge its normal $19,500 base fee. 

Tresa Zumsteg, a former middle school principal in Rochester and a longtime superintendent in Berkley, is serving as interim superintendent until at least Jan. 1. 

Board of Education members agreed to make the start date for the permanent superintendent negotiable, in case they were able to find a great candidate but that person was not available to begin in the middle of a school year.

At the Oct. 8 meeting, the Board and School Exec Connect are expected to develop a timeline for the superintendent search.

School Exec Connect has five superintendent vacancies — in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin — listed on its website.