Periodically, a private-independent school faces the challenge of launching a search for a new Head.

Since a Head search is (or should be) a rare occurrence in the life of a school, as Board Chair, one of your more daunting challenges is to project the cost of the search. Fortunately, private-independent school Boards are composed of people who are capable of defining the components of a search and estimating their direct monetary costs.

In addition, you must also consider the indirect expenses in personnel, time, and organizational disruption that cannot be quantified but must be acknowledged.

What Personnel Is Involved?

Head searches generate a tremendous paper flow – correspondence, acknowledgements, résumés, interview notes, etc.

Keeping track of where each candidate is in the process, maintaining accurate records, and preparing materials for Search Committee meetings requires diligence and precision. In addition, all the events associated with the candidates’ visits must be coordinated, schedules pub- lished, and volunteers contacted.

Accordingly, the Committee may need clerical assistance.

The attributes and skills for this person would be the same as those of the Head’s Administrative Assistant: organized, tactful, able to write and speak well, and, above all, able to maintain confidentiality. This could mean extending overtime hours and/or providing a stipend for a current school staff member or someone working in the office of one of the Search Committee members.

However, if the job requires more attention than could be provided this way, you may have to hire outside assistance.

While a person from a temp agency can meet these criteria, consider hiring a qualified past parent who has already demonstrated the attributes and skills sought. The advantages of employing a past parent are that you will have someone who knows the school and understands the private school environment. Also, a past parent may be less likely than a current parent to be pressured for “inside” information on the search’s progress.

How long does it take?

Time, when stolen from or added to regular tasks, “costs” something. While there are no direct, attributable expenses, there are costs that must be accounted for in the lives of the people involved, just as we account for all other costs when people are engaged in non-specific, non- job-related tasks.

For the Search Committee and its supporting Advisory Committee, some time commitments are easy to forecast.2 You will need meetings to define the characteristics sought in the new Head, review résumés, decide what references to call, select semi-finalists and finalists, etc. What cannot be predicted is how long any of these meetings will last or how frequently the committee members will feel they must convene.

As the search continues, the Search Committee will need to make sure that it is keeping the school’s various constituencies informed about and comfortable with the search’s progress. Ways to communicate with the Board, faculty and staff, parents, and students will need to be developed. As with most effective communication, the committee will not only need to send out written updates but should also have a member arrange personal contact with each of the non-Board constituencies on a regular basis to describe where the search stands and to answer questions.

In short, being on a Head Search Committee is a time- consuming responsibility. It should be each member’s sole volunteer activity for the six to nine months of the search.

Potential organizational pitfalls

The intangible, indirect costs of a Head search may be the most difficult to estimate because they do not fall into the realm of personnel costs or time. Because they involve a number of people’s responses to the need for and the process of a search, their existence can only be anticipated and appropriately managed. Be aware of the following pos- sible dangers and be prepared to remedy any developing problems.3

• Members of the Board, feeling that the outgoing Head may, or actually is, not paying full attention to the school, could become more (inappropriately) involved in day-to-day functions, giving direction to administrators and managing aspects of the school’s 4
• The Management Team, if the Head relinquishes active direction of this group, could be called upon (or might seize the opportunity) to make decisions more appropriate for the Head. For example, subordinates could assume responsibility for making decisions about hiring, executing contracts, or soliciting major
• In addition, the Head, Board, and Management Team may be tempted to postpone major decisions until the new Head is in place, leading to a real sense of leadership When such a power vacuum occurs, there is the possibility that someone will step into the breach and push through a “pet” project not called for in the planning documents and therefore not part of the Board’s or administration’s agenda for the year.
• Faculty may be insecure about the change in leader- ship, regardless of their relationship with the incum-bent. Their concerns will center on trading a known management style for an unknown one. Some may even look for positions in another school.
  • Parents will also be watching the search process care- fully, looking to see if the school will be the same or not with a new Head. If they respected the outgoing Head, they may consider other schools for their chil- If the Head is leaving as a result of acrimony, they may fear a disruption to the educational process, increasing the numbers who search for another school.
  • Students, if they sense confusion in the school’s lead- ership and/or ambivalence on the part of their parents, may become restless. Discipline problems may increase, they may pressure the faculty to relax stan- dards, or they, too, may want to look into other schooling
  • Lastly, the new Head, even the most enthusiastic, may proceed cautiously once assuming There will be time devoted to assessing needs and formulating plans to address those needs. The new Head will institute new leadership and management practices. Altogether, leadership inaction and time for the new Head to “get up to speed” could mean that the school appears to suffer. Decisions may not be made in a timely fashion. The level of activity (i.e., progress) may appear to decline, and there is a potential for stagnation.

  These “hidden” costs are not predictable, but they can be anticipated. The Search Committee, reflecting on your school’s personality, must consider each of these adverse possibilities. Create a list of potential responses and go over them with the outgoing Head. Use the Head Support and Evaluation Committee to watch for adverse situations and to monitor responses by the Head and/or Management Team. The Director of Parent Relations should also be aware of possible issues of the school’s families and be prepared to address their concerns.

  Recognize that the costs of a Head search often exceed financial matters. While it is not possible to determine unforeseen expenses, you must be aware that a Head search will involve unpredictable demands on the time, energy, and emotions of the school’s constituencies.

Let The Source help you with your search

Let our team of experts take some of the burden off your school. With our Leadership Search services, you’ll not only perform a search to find a leader, but you’ll also receive the necessary consulting and professional development support that are proven to leave a long-term, enduring impact on your school, well beyond the search has been completed.