Fort Smith School Board moves to hire firm for superintendent search

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by Tina Alvey Dale ([email protected]) ago 99 views 

Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education agreed Tuesday (Jan. 7) on a search firm to help hire a superintendent. The board unanimously agreed to allow the district and Board President Dalton Person to negotiate with McPherson and Jacobson for the search.

Any search would be contingent on an official resignation from Superintendent Dr. Terry Morawski. Dr. Courtney Morawski, wife of Terry Morawski, on Dec. 16 was named the lone finalist for Granbury Independent School District superintendent of schools in Granbury, Texas.

Texas law requires a 21-day waiting period before a contract can be signed. Terry Morawski told the board Tuesday night that she is scheduled to sign her final contract on Jan. 13. He said he could, theoretically, submit his resignation as early as Jan. 14 to be effective July 1.

The district on Dec. 20 published a requests for qualifications (RFQ) for a search firm to help the district find qualified candidates to replace Morawski. Five firms responded to that RFQ: Ray and Associates, McPherson and Jacobson, JG Consulting, DPI Consulting and Education Partners.

Omaha, Neb.-based McPherson & Jacobson has conducted national searches for boards of education since 1991. It has placed more than 750 superintendents and other officials in public and non-profit organizations across the United States.

Ray and Associates, based out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was the firm hired by FSPS in 2017 to find a superintendent to replace Dr. Benny Gooden when he retired. It netted the hiring of Dr. Doug Brubaker as superintendent.

JG Consulting of Georgetown, Texas, is a national consulting firm with more than a decade of experience and management of more than 170 executive searches. Colorado Springs-based Education Partners is involved in its first superintendent search in Arkansas. Mike Poore, executive vice president of Education Partners, has led some training in the past for the FSPS school board. Fort Smith native Miles Crawford would have represented Portland, Ore.-based DPI Staffing if awarded the contract.

The board will discuss contract and compensation at the Jan. 27 school board meeting.  Person said in December that ideally, a new superintendent would be hired before Morawski leaves the district.