At last night’s Lincoln County Board of Education meeting, the Board formally accepted a letter from Superintendent Michael Rowe (dated February 25th) informing the Board that he will not be seeking a third term as superintendent of Lincoln County Schools.
The Board then voted to determine a vacancy will occur in the office of superintendent effective July, 1st, 2023. Superintendent Rowe’s last day with the district will be June 30th, 2023.
The Board will immediately begin the search for a Superintendent. One of the initial steps is establishing a Superintendent Screening Committee within 30 days of the vacancy being determined. The search committee is comprised of two teachers, one classified employee, one parent, one principal, one minority member (since the district has 8 percent or more minority population) and one school board member. (Screening committee statute LINK- https://bit.ly/3T4s99a)
The search committee screens the candidate applications, constructs interview questions and conducts interviews. In addition, they check background information, contact references, and ultimately make a recommendation to the Board. The Board can interview and hire any applicant that is certified for the position even if the applicant was not recommended by the search committee.
The role of the Board is to develop candidate criteria, set timelines for the search, and instruct the search committee on how many finalists are needed. The Board also interviews the finalists, contacts references and others, and conducts contract negotiations.
The Board is expected to call a special meeting soon to consider hiring a consultant to assist them with the Superintendent search. The date and time of that special meeting will be posted once it is determined.