And officials at both Butler County districts have said they hope to quickly hire new district leaders so the current superintendents can have time to help their successors transition into the job.
Lakota Schools, which is the largest district in the county and the biggest suburban school system in southwest Ohio, is conducting its second superintendent search in a little more than one year as it looks to replace Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli, who signed up only through this school year.
A recent statement from Lakota officials noted the governing school board’s goal “to have a new superintendent hired by mid-to-late May.”
Officials said the fast-track candidate solicitation, interviews and hiring, which are being assisted by a national education recruitment firm, are being done “in order to have a few contracted work days overlap with Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli before beginning officially on Aug. 1.”
Community survey results on leadership from 2023 and a similar survey in recent months are part of the evaluation mix of preliminary candidates and important guidelines to finding the best hire to lead the school system, said officials.
By law in Ohio’s public school districts, the elected school board hires two district leadership positions — the superintendent and the treasurer.
Officials at Ross Schools are taking a similar approach in also soliciting opinions from many, including school staffers, on what qualities the next superintendent should possess.
The district has contracted with the Butler County Educational Services Center (BCESC), which provides services and personnel to all 10 county public districts, in its search to find a replacement for Superintendent Chad Konkle, who announced last month he was moving on for another position with Warren County’s Little Miami Schools.
Last week the Ross Board of Education formally accepted Konkle’s resignation to occur on June 30 and some interviews of candidates have already been conducted, said Ross officials in an announcement to the school community.
“We understand the significance of this transition and want to assure the community that the board of education is actively in the process of filling the superintendent position,” said Ross officials.
“It is the goal of the board to have a new superintendent hired by the end of the school year in order to have a collaborative transition period with the current superintendent … before beginning officially on July 1.”
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