St. Paul schools ask public: What do you want in the next superintendent?

The search for a new leader of St. Paul Public Schools will pick up later this month with efforts to include community members in the process via an online survey and virtual and in-person public forums.

The state’s second-largest district aims to create a leadership profile for a new permanent superintendent after Joe Gothard left St. Paul to become the schools chief in his hometown of Madison, Wis., in May.

John Thein, the longtime leader of Roseville Area Schools, is now serving as interim superintendent — a role he held for a year before Gothard was hired in 2017.

Unlike many urban school systems, St. Paul has avoided rapid turnover at the top. Gothard succeeded Valeria Silva, who served between 2009 and 2016, and went on to become one of America’s longest-serving urban superintendents; he ranked third this year among 78 listed in the Council of the Great City Schools.

Gothard also won 2024 National Superintendent of the Year honors in February.

In July, his former school board bosses hired BWP & Associates to guide the search for a new permanent leader at a cost of up to $75,000.

The search firm has posted an “invitation to apply” on its website stating St. Paul Public Schools is seeking “an innovative thought-leader and intentional communicator with a proven record of effective decision making as a school leader.” The candidate also should have a history of “respectful relationships with linguistic, demographic and racially diverse groups of students, staff and communities,” the notice states.

The district plans to offer a “nationally competitive compensation package.” Gothard was paid $256,000 in 2023-24 — the first year of a new three-year deal.

Board Chair Halla Henderson said Friday that the district plans to supplement what she described as a “standard” posting with the leadership profile to determine who to interview and ultimately select.

“We are looking forward to beginning this important work in partnership with our families, students, staff, and the greater St. Paul community,” Henderson said.

A projected timeline for the search that was laid out in August called for an application deadline of Nov. 5, interviews in early December and the potential naming of a finalist before Christmas.

The school board would appoint the new superintendent on Jan. 21, according to the schedule.

The community engagement opportunities announced Thursday include:

Registration for the forums is available on the district’s website at spps.org/SuperintendentSearch.

Current board members have valued community input in other matters, too, including the setting of a 2024-25 school year budget that required closing a $100 million-plus deficit. The district’s next leader faces familiar challenges of declining enrollment, lagging test scores and a stubborn achievement gap. But the district has eased the enrollment slide by boosting its multicultural curriculum offerings.

Plans call for a new Afrocentric learning program to be launched in 2025-26.