PUSD board to interview recruitment firms

The Poway Unified School District Board of Education will meet Sunday night to interview recruitment firms to find help in hiring a new superintendent.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday and is expected to last several hours, as the board will spend about 30 minutes with each firm, viewing a presentation from the firm and asking questions. This will be an open-session meeting and it is open to the public. Public comment will only be allowed on the agenda topic.

Eleven firms nationwide were asked to respond to the board and six replied. That was whittled down to four firms by the board members at the regular board meeting held on Aug. 23.

The four firms are Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates; Leadership Associates; Ray and Associates, Inc.; and the Cosca Group.

Board President Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff said that as of press time, none of the firms had confirmed that they would be attending the meeting.

The board will be discussing their choice in open session to see if a consensus can be reached, said O’Connor-Ratcliff. If they can decide on a firm, a contract will be offered the following day.

Once hired, the firm will begin the process to recruit a new superintendent, which can take several months.