The Board of Education of the Hayward Unified School District, Hayward, California, is seeking a highly qualified Superintendent who leads through a lens of equity and with a purpose to improve student achievement.  The Board wishes to have the successful candidate assume the responsibilities of the position on July 1, 2023.

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: 19,000

Location: 30 miles southeast of San Francisco        

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:

• An Effective Collaborator and Communicator: The superintendent is a creative and innovative public school educator who possesses current experience and knowledge when supervising the instructional program through a shared leadership approach. They listen to, think about, and work to incorporate the thinking of others before making any final decisions. This leader demonstrates strong verbal, written, and digital communication skills, and is accessible to all. The superintendent must be an inclusive leader and a team builder who is able to bring people together establishing trusting, transparent, inclusive, and respectful relationships with the Board, administration, staff, students, and community. This leader has demonstrated a willingness, understanding and ability to engage others in difficult conversations about educational equity, and what is necessary for all students to achieve and feel safe. This leader must be an experienced problem solver who effectively implements an inclusive decision-making process.

• An Ethical Executive Leader: The superintendent has a strong work ethic who leads by example and holds high standards for self, staff, and students. They act as a role model who possesses the characteristics of honesty, courage, accountability, humor, inclusivity, and empathy. This leader must make decisions, model, and behave in ways that demonstrate professionalism, integrity, justice, and equity and hold staff to the same standard. They have the abilities to understand and implement solutions to complex issues of California school finance, facilities, education law, collective bargaining and strategic planning. The superintendent must balance this with being a transformational leader who has the knowledge and skills of all aspects of district and site leadership. This specifically includes budget development, maintenance of facilities, and the ability to prioritize, and equitably direct resources based on student needs through utilizing the Local Control Accountability Planning (LCAP) process. 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. The superintendent must be able to implement and monitor personnel practices with the purpose of attracting and retaining employees providing the District with fully staffed positions. Building staff capacity through professional development and employee support must be a priority for our next leader while maintaining consistent systems of evaluation, hiring, and discipline.

• Student-Centered Leader: The superintendent is an educator who is committed to student excellence and achievement, student physical and mental health, inclusive of differences, and the development of an inclusive course of study. The next superintendent must know the best practices in teaching and learning, provide services to address individual student learning and mental health needs, be able to implement effective, culturally relevant curriculum and instruction, assist in the selection of purposeful professional development, and employ systems of assessment that all result in increased achievement for all students. Assuring that students are in a safe environment must be a continuing priority for the superintendent. This educational equity leader makes all decisions with students at the center.

• Equity Leader: The superintendent has the moral compass and courage to act upon all decisions through an equity, diversity, and inclusive lens. This proven equity leader must be passionate, yet socially and emotionally intelligent in the demonstration of intentional and strategic leadership driven by data, research, and promising practices to systemically address educational equity gaps. The superintendent is a culturally proficient person who values diverse cultures and ethnicities, ensures resources are allocated to students based on their individual needs to support them reaching their full academic and social potential. This leader actively engages in the interruption of policies, practices, and structures that perpetuate all forms of institutional oppression while strategically bringing others along on the journey.

• Community-Centered Leader: The superintendent values diversity and various perspectives. A leader who is excited about and committed to being visible in the schools and engaged with the community in a meaningful and discernible way. A person who can effectively relate to diverse cultures, listen to their needs, dreams, and opinions, and is skilled in resolving their issues with the schools. The superintendent is expected to be a person who invites the community to be involved with the schools and likewise models the district’s involvement with the community.

Requirements:

• A master’s degree or higher with a proven record and desire of continuous learning is required

Preferences:

• Successful experience as a teacher and leader at the classroom, site and district levels is preferred
• California administrative experience at the cabinet level is preferred
• Bilingual/biliterate in English/Spanish is preferred

Search Timeline:

• Closing date for applications: February 16, 2023 (11:30 p.m. central time)
• Board of Education selects finalists to interview: March 1, 2023
• Interviews with the Board of Education: March 24-25, 2023
• Selection of new Superintendent: April 19, 2023
• Start date: July 1, 2023

About McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C.

McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C. has been conducting national searches for governing boards since 1991. The firm has placed over 815 superintendents and other officials in public and non-profit organizations across the United States. McPherson & Jacobson is one of the leading national superintendent search firms. The California School Board Association has selected McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C. to represent them in conducting superintendent searches in California. McPherson & Jacobson is a leading national search firm that has California-based consultants. Our California consultants understand California and its unique requirements and laws.

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