The Davis Joint Unified School District, Board of Education, is seeking a highly qualified and fully certified Superintendent. The Board wishes to have the successful candidate assume the responsibilities of the position July 1, 2022.

McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment and Development, in collaboration with the California School Boards Association, has been engaged as the consultant in a search for outstanding candidates. They will assist the Board of Education in identifying and screening the candidates.

Enrollment: 8,300

Location: 15 miles west of Sacramento

The Qualifications

The candidate must have the background, skills, and abilities essential for excellence in educational leadership. The board recognizes that selecting a superintendent is one of the most important decisions it will make. The board desires candidates that have a proven ability and demonstrated accomplishment for the following position criteria:

• A visionary and courageous leader who is experienced and committed to student achievement and well being as integral to the culture of the district and each school.  This passionate and forward thinking leader must be able to build a consensus around the District’s mission and goals. Building support for the vision by employing genuine empathic listening skills are traits desired in this public figure. They must also have the courage to be able to stand up for the District’s vision and values in the face of pressure from both inside and outside the District. This leader must be open and able to take risks as they lead during changing times and unknown future crisis in public education.

• This instructional leader must have knowledge of current and promising best practices that yields success for all students. The next superintendent must know the best practices in teaching and learning, be able to implement effective curriculum, assist in the selection of purposeful professional development, and employ systems of multiple metrics that all result in increased achievement for all students. They must be willing to commit to life-long learning by participating with staff in professional development. This instructional leader should have demonstrated educational equity practices and strategies they have implemented to close achievement, opportunity, and access gaps between target groups of students. Emphasizing the development and support of the whole child is an essential quality that the next superintendent must have in order to promote student well being, both physically and mentally. Having experience and knowledge of programs that serve special needs of students is a required attribute for the superintendent. The Board desires an educational leader who will enable all students to be college, career and civic ready upon graduation.

• An effective collaborator and communicator who listens to and thinks about multiple perspectives to drive decisions. This leader has strong verbal, written, and digital communication skills, and is accessible to all including those with differing opinions. This leader articulates clear messaging and employs a strategic communication plan to support the district goals through multiple venues. The next superintendent must have a proven ability to bring people together to build trusting, transparent, inclusive, and respectful relationships with the Board, administration, staff, bargaining units, students, families and community. The next superintendent must demonstrate cultural competence in bringing diverse groups and individuals together, working collaboratively, while managing the dynamics of differences to effectively resolve conflict in schools and across the district.

• This community leader is expected to be the person who invites families and the community to be involved with the schools and likewise models the District’s involvement with the community through their own participation in the life of the community. An important task of the next leader is to build trust and collaboration with our community partners. They must possess a style of comfort and approachability when in the public arena. Davis Unified is a regional leader in public education and requires a superintendent who can embrace the role of sharing promising practices both at the local, regional and state levels. It is expected that this school superintendent will have a highly visible and engaging role with our community.

• An operational manager who has the abilities to understand and implement solutions to complex issues of California school finance, education law, collective bargaining and strategic planning. The superintendent must be a leader who has the knowledge and skills of all aspects of district and can bring coherence to the operation of the district. This specifically includes budget development and the ability to prioritize and equitably direct resources based on student needs. They must have the ability to leverage the strengths of staff through empowering them and building trusting relationships to support the creative transition from the vision to practice. Being able to implement and monitor personnel practices of evaluation, hiring, retention and discipline are skills needed in the next superintendent.

Requirements:

• Successful public K-12 school teaching is required  
• Leadership experience at the district office level is required
• A graduate degree is preferred
• California leadership experience is preferred
• Ability to communicate in a second language is preferred

Salary: multi-year competitive compensation package

Search Timeline:

• Closing date for applications: March 1, 2022 (11:30 p.m. central time)
• Board of Education selects finalists to interview: April 4, 2022
• Interviews with the Board of Education: April 9, 11, 2022
• Selection of new Superintendent: April 2022
• Start date: July 1, 2022

Consultants: Mr. Bob Ferguson and Mr. Bill Huyett