Renton School Board Hires Northwest Leadership Associates For Superintendent Search

Renton School Board members voted to hire Northwest Leadership Associates at a special board meeting Wednesday night.

The firm will conduct the months-long search for a new superintendent to replace . The nationwide search, which will begin in January, will include staff and community input, community meetings to present candidates and more.

Patch will post the dates of the community meetings when they are announced.

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Board members held a public study session to interview four superintendent search firms vying to work with the district to hire a new superintendent. All of the companies were qualified to conduct the search and each were confident that the Renton School District would attract high-level candidates from across the country given its continued success with student achievement, parent involvement and community support.

Other aspects of the district that will attract candidates—as identified by the search firms—include the district’s success in financial management; continued voter support for teacher pay and construction or renovation of schools; its close working relationships with business owners and community organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis; and award-winning programs that involve higher education organizations such as the University of Washington, Washington State University, Renton Technical College and many others.

For more than a decade Northwest Leadership Associates has conducted more than 190 superintendent searches for school districts in the Northwest. Their work—guided by Renton School Board members—will include creating a recruitment timeline, meeting with stakeholder groups and soliciting input from staff, students and community to create a profile of the district, and then to find candidates whose qualifications and attributes match that profile. The search firm will conduct background and reference checks, visit the communities of prospective candidates, and ensure a good fit for Renton. Later work will also include presenting qualified candidates to the public at community meetings.

*Editor's Note: Information provided by the Renton School District.