Superintendent search down to semi-finalists

A search for a new superintendent to oversee the Fallbrook Union High School District is down to semi-finalists, according to board President Diane Summers.

A meeting will be held Saturday, April 27, on the high school campus for select community members and the FUHSD board to interview the final candidates.

Community members invited will come from a variety of backgrounds, Summers said. They will have a chance to ask the candidates questions along with the board.

Summers couldn’t say how many semi-finalists there are but said the search has been narrowed down from a pool of 26 candidates.

“The right person will emerge,” Summera said.

She said she felt good about the chosen recruits and praised the consultants for their positivity throughout the process.

“The energy with the board is good. We are doing everything by the book,” she said.

The FUHSD board hired consultants McPherson & Jacobson, partners with the California School Boards Association, to conduct the state and nationwide search for qualified candidates.

The California School Boards Association is an organization that provides districts and county offices of education with a streamlined process for hiring, from recruiting possible candidates to the selection of a superintendent.

CBSA’s focus is on recruiting candidates from a pool of superintendents and experienced educators in California, whereas other search firms recruit for private and business sector positions.

The Fallbrook Union High School District Board of Trustees said they hoped to install a new and permanent superintendent by May 6.

Current interim superintendent Lou Obermeyer, Ph.D., started work Jan. 7 and only planned to lead the district through the end of March.

Summers said the board has recently held its stakeholder meetings that involve staff, students, parents and community members for people to voice what they are looking for in a new superintendent.

“The consultants vetted and they gave us the semi-finalists,” Summers said. ”We are running out of time and we want to get somebody in. We should know by our first meeting in May.”