[BHS Etree] BUSD: BHS Principal Selection Process

[BHS etree]

Please note that the proposed Berkeley High School Principal Selection process has been announced. The below is from the board packet that is posted online. This was on the agenda for the school board meeting Wed. 4/14. 

http://www.berkeley.net/uploads/school_board/2010spring/04-14-10_packet.pdf

2.2-I 
BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 
TO: William Huyett, Superintendent 
FROM: Lisa van Thillo, Ed. D., Assistant Superintendent, HR 
DATE: April 14, 2010 
SUBJECT: Berkeley High School Principal Selection 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
Our current high school principal will be retiring at the end of the 2010 school year. We are posting the position and advertising it electronically. 

Berkeley High School is our only comprehensive high school and as such is the flagship of the District. The selection of a new principal is important to the District and the community. 

Involving faculty, staff, parents, administrators and students in the hiring process will help us be selective as well as transparent. It will also help the new principal begin his/her position on a positive note. 

Human Resources is recommending that the District have two panels for the interview process; a community panel and a technical panel. The technical panel will be made up of administration, certificated and classified staff. Its role is to assess specific administrative skills. The community panel will assess skills related to community and interpersonal relations. 

Because Berkeley has so many active parents and community groups, it may be difficult to limit the number of people serving on the interview panel. The process outlined below allows for input from any interested parties. Staff is requesting direction from the Board on the composition of the community panel, not to exceed 10 members on the panel in addition to the facilitator and the interviewee. 

Qualities and Characteristics 
The Superintendent or his designee will invite and conduct both staff and community input sessions to receive opinions regarding the characteristics and qualities desired in a principal, by those groups. These opinions provide the criteria for panel members' consideration during the interview process. Therefore, the representatives on the committees will be serving the greater community by applying the criteria listed. 

School and Community Meetings 
The meetings with Berkeley High School and Parent/Community groups will be as follows:
April 19 from 8– 9:30 a.m. 
Certificated and Classified Academic Choice, Electives, and office staff. 

April 26 from 8– 9:30 a.m. 
Certificated and Classified from BIHS and Small Schools and other staff. 

April 27 from 2:00– 4:00 p.m. and again from 6:00– 8:00 p.m. 
Parent and Community meetings. 

This information will be posted, published and distributed over the next two weeks. 

Interview Panels 
The technical panel is designed to address issues related to the supervision of instruction, learning modalities, curriculum development, budget management, and employee evaluation. The ten panel members will be representatives of various groups. The recommendation is as follows: 6 BFT representatives, 1 UBA representative, 1 BCCE representative, 1 Local 39 representative, and the Director of Personnel Services. Neil Smith will facilitate this panel. 

The community panel is designed to address community interests such as interpersonal relations, attitudes about students, leadership, decision making, and school safety. The ten panel members will be representatives chosen by various parent and community groups. The recommendation is as follows:  1 PCAD, 1 BOCA, 1 PTSA, 1 Site Governance Council, 1 Berkeley Development Group, 1 BESP, 1 City Equity Task Force (2020 Leadership), 2 students, and 1 School Board member. William Huyett will facilitate this panel. 

These are not exclusive arenas and there may be similar questions identified by both groups to be included and asked by both panels. The District requests that the names be submitted by these groups, but reserves the right to come back to the groups if there is not diverse representation on each of the panels. 

The Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent or Director of Personnel Services will not be voting members of these panels, but will facilitate the process. The scores from each panel and a writing exercise will be combined and tallied to determine which candidates move forward to the final interview. Lisa van Thillo will oversee the process. 

Interview Process 
Each candidate will be interviewed by the technical panel and the community panel and will submit a writing sample to the superintendent.

POLICY/CODE 
None 

FISCAL IMPACT 
None at this time 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION 
Discuss and provide direction to the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, HR, regarding the composition of the community panel.

Write:  Supt. William Huyett and BUSD Directors, 
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-1180
Email: <boardofed at berkeley.k12.ca.us> and  <william_huyett at berkeley.k12.ca.us>