'Quiet excellence' leads board to choose two superintendent candidates

Mon, Mar 17, 2008    to del.icio.us

SPRING LAKE — The Spring Lake Public Schools Board of Education has selected two superintendent candidates from outside the Spring Lake community to bring back for second interviews.

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The board on Saturday afternoon voted unanimously to advance Dennis Furton, superintendent at Bath Community Schools, to the next round.

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The board voted 6-1 in favor of advancing Elizabeth Godwin, superintendent at Decatur Public Schools. Trustee John Nametz cast the opposing vote for Godwin.

"These two exemplify quiet excellence," board President Madonna Kramer said of Furton and Godwin. "It's what sets them apart and it sums up both quite well. The decision is never easy, though — they all had great qualities and are all extremely qualified."

The board spent Thursday and Friday nights and Saturday morning talking to the six candidates it had chosen to interview out of a pool of 22 applications.

The other candidates included SLPS Interim Superintendent Mark Westerburg, Spring Lake High School Principal Mike Gilchrist, Okemos Public School Deputy Superintendent Catherine Ash and Central Montcalm Public Schools Superintendent Roger Thelen.

The last two candidates, Godwin and Thelen, were interviewed in 75-minute sessions on Saturday morning. The board then recessed for an hour to review and discuss all the interviews, and reconvened in open session to make a decision on second interviews.

Those interviews will take place March 25.

"My assessment of this district is that we have an exceptional collection of staff that are ready to be challenged to produce a further level of excellence," said Trustee Rolf Hissom. "(Furton and Godwin) seemed to best exemplify an ability to engage staff to unleash their potential.

"I came into this process with a prejudice toward an internal candidate," Hissom added. "Those people have brought us to the excellence that we have right now, and I respect them very much for their ability to get us here. But in taking counsel from staff and other people within the district, it seemed that our greatest potential for further excellence may be found in an external candidate."

Of those in the audience — mostly SLPS teachers and staff — some expressed surprise over the way the decision was ultimately made. While the interviews and meetings were open to the public, the board chose to discuss the candidates informally and out of the public eye throughout the three days of interviews and during the hour-long recess on Saturday.

When the board reconvened Saturday afternoon to select its top two candidates, there was no discussion — only two motions to advance Furton and Godwin.

"I was a little shocked," said Kent Higgs, a Spring Lake High School teacher and president of the Spring Lake Education Association. "When I think 'open forum,' I thought we would get to hear what the board members have to say about each candidate. I mean, we've been sitting here for the past three days, hearing the same things they've heard. ... I'm curious to know if this is what the next round is going to be like."

Higgs also said he was concerned to not see an internal candidate among the two selected.

"I would think that we'd want one of our final candidates to be one of our internals out of respect for what they've done for our district," said Higgs. "We wouldn't be where we are without them. Every one of the candidates said they would want to be a part of this community and be visible — and we had candidates that already are a part of this community."

Saturday's interviews

Prior to their decision Saturday afternoon, the school board members listened to Godwin and Thelen explain why they had applied for the superintendent post.

Godwin, who has been the Decatur superintendent since 2001, described the essential function of the job as being "the person that steers the boat."

"A superintendent has to lead the district forward with the vision that everyone puts together, and help everyone get there," she said. "There are a million other things to do, but I think that is the primary function."

In her interview, Godwin emphasized the importance of developing and maintaining a strong curriculum, as well as using technology to enhance learning. She said she would work hard to develop trust with board members and maintain open lines of communication with all employees within the district.

"I'm very impressed with your district," she told the board. "I think your new aquatic facility will be a challenge to make sure it's a success financially, but you certainly have managed your fund balance well. You have so many great things going for you; it would be an honor to be a part of that."

Thelen has been a superintendent for the past 15 years, first in Colon and currently at Central Montcalm Public Schools. He said a superintendent is ultimately responsible for all functions of a district, but that the top priority should be creating a vision and helping to accomplish it.

Thelen said, should he were to be hired, he would work on building relationships and maintaining visibility. He said his challenge would be to assess the future needs of the district, and that he would not be likely to implement any new programs within his first year on the job.

"I have had my eye on this position for a number of years," Thelen told the board. "There is a real sense of pride and a value of excellence in this district, and that's something any superintendent would strive to work in."

Next steps

In preparation for the second interviews, Kramer said the board will be sending small groups — made up of administrators, teachers and board members — to visit the districts where Furton and Godwin currently work. The groups will spend the day conducting interviews, meeting in small groups and "trying to absorb the climate," Kramer said.

One group will travel to Godwin's district in Decatur on Tuesday, and another group will travel to Furton's district in Bath on March 24.

On March 25, both candidates will return to Spring Lake for their second interviews. They will also meet with SLPS administrators and central office staff, as well as participate in small group discussions with teachers from each school building.

Kramer emphasized that the selection of Furton and Godwin does not mean that the others have been eliminated.

"As we move forward in this process, if at any time we're not comfortable or we don't think they are working out, we could bring someone else back," she said.

"This has been a very intense process for us," Kramer added. "We have taken every step very seriously, and we have done our homework. ... I feel we got a good idea of what people are looking for and what is needed, and we have made a point of working in the best interests of our district."

The school board hopes to extend an offer by the beginning of April, and have a negotiated contract completed by the end of that month.