School Board Enters Negotiations with Superintendent Finalist
/
Szymoniak speaks to a forum of teachers and parents at Henley Elementary. April 3, 2018 (Brian Gailey).
Szymoniak determined to be 'great fit'
The Klamath County School Board has decided to enter into superintendent contract negotiations with Glen Szymoniak, the finalist for the position to lead the district.
Glen Szymoniak visits with a student at Peterson Elementary School on his recent tour of KCSD Schools. April 3, 2018 (Samantha Tippler).
“We found a great fit for the Klamath County School District with a man that meets all the qualifications,” said board chairman John Rademacher, emphasizing that throughout the process of the superintendent search, Szymoniak was a top candidate. Rademacher noted Szymoniak approaches problem solving by listening.
“My job is to make your dreams come true. It’s all about listening to what your vision is, getting a collective consensus about where you want to go,” Szymoniak told a room of about 40 people at the public forum Tuesday evening. “We have quality conversations about what you want out of your schools and your district, and then we work together to make it happen.”
Retiring Superintendent, Greg Thede (left) speaks with Superintendent canidate Greg Szymoniak (right) duiring Szymoniak's recent visit to Klamath County. April 3, 2018 (Samantha Tippler).
Superintendent Greg Thede is retiring at the end of the 2017-18 school year and the board has been engaged in the process of
finding a new superintendent since October.
Rademacher and the board emphasized their extensive search led them to Szymoniak, whom they believe is the right person for the job. That process included three public input meetings, more than 100 comments from the public and KCSD staff and a 20-person search committee to review resumes and narrow candidates.
Szymoniak stood out in the initial five-candidates chosen for interviews, and the three finalists. Though two of those finalists withdrew their applications that did not diminish Szymoniak’s
qualifications.
Szymoniak speaks to a forum of teachers and parents at Henley Elementary. April 3, 2018 (Brian Gailey).
“After an extremely extensive background check, Mr. Szymoniak was determined to be an outstanding match for the criteria established at the beginning of the search,” a statement from the board read. “We believe Mr. Szymoniak will be a great fit for Klamath County School
District, based on the established qualities and qualifications. The good news is that he has stated that he really wants to work here, too."
If he received the job, Szymoniak said he planned to move to Klamath permanently.
“You have a beautiful area here. We plan on moving here, living here, building a home and probably dying here,” he said with a laugh when speaking to district office staff. “That’s the plan.”
Szymoniak spent Tuesday and Wednesday touring KCSD schools, visiting the district office and spoke at a public forum Tuesday evening. He said he was impressed with the schools, the students and the staff. During his tours he visited with administrators, teachers, staff and students.
“There’s a lot of people out there who are making the most of everything they have in the schools,” Szymoniak said. “And being innovative to keep and provide programs for schools.”
Rademacher visited Szymoniak in Alaska last week, where Szymoniak is interim superintendent of the Dillingham City School District. Szymoniak was previously superintendent in Barrow, Alaska, and McCall, Idaho.
Szymoniak spent most of his career in the Kenai Peninsula school district, where he worked his way up to assistant superintendent. That district is large, with 10,000 students, 23 communities and 45 schools. The KCSD has about 6,500 students and 21 schools. Szymoniak said he likes being part of a large, diverse district.
Szymoniak speaks to a forum of teachers and parents at Henley Elementary. April 3, 2018 (Brian Gailey).
“I like getting out to all the schools,” he said. “Not just for graduation, but to sit down and say ‘What’s the most important thing we need to talk about? What support do you need from the district, for your school, for your community?’”
The Klamath County School Board is meeting to continue negotiations Wednesday evening. A final agreement could be reached within the coming days.
Statement from the Klamath County School Board:
Klamath County Board of Directors has entered into Superintendent Contract negotiations with Glen Szymoniak. This decision was made after a very extensive search to replace retiring Superintendent Greg Thede after 12 years at the helm with KCSD.
We realize many are apprehensive about finding a quality replacement for Mr. Thede. This can be addressed by remembering the process used to find Mr. Szymoniak:
- We began by conducting three fairly well-attended public input meetings and an online survey to determine the qualities and qualifications the public was looking for in our next superintendent.
- With over 100 comments, a packet was developed to solicit applications for the position and was posted nationwide.
- With the help of a superintendent search committee, made up of 20 employees and community members, resumes, references, and candidate narratives were evaluated.
- Five candidates, including Mr. Szymoniak, were chosen from applications from 6 states for an interview.
- The Board, with the help of the selection committee, narrowed the search to three finalists based upon these interviews. Mr. Szymoniak was one of the three.
- After an extremely extensive background check, Mr. Szymoniak was determined to be an outstanding match for the criteria established at the beginning of the search.
During the background check, some of the information gained about Mr. Szymoniak included his ability to listen first. His leadership style includes collaboration and mediation processes. His decision-making is always based on the principle of what is best for the children of the
district. He also has worked in a vast variety of positions and culturally diverse communities with great success.
We believe Mr. Szymoniak will be a great fit for Klamath County School District, based on the established qualities and qualifications. The good news is that he has stated that he really wants to work here, too.
Press release provided from Samantha Tippler, Public Relations, Klamath County School District.