On second thought: District's choice withdraws name from superintendent search
Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/64950/
The only finalist interviewed for the Fayetteville School District superintendent position has decided to stay put.
The decision by Bryant Superintendent Richard Abernathy means the Fayetteville Board of Education will restart the search for a successor for Superintendent Bobby New, who is scheduled to retire in June 2009.
“ It has no reflection on the Fayetteville School District.... I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve found out about them, ” Abernathy told the Northwest Arkansas Times on Thursday afternoon. “ It was just the best decision for my family. ”
Abernathy, 43, and his wife, Paula, have two children, ages 16 and 14, who are in high school.
“ If I didn’t have a junior and ninthgrader, maybe it would have been a different story, ” he said. “ When we weighed everything out, we just felt it wasn’t in our best interest. ”
Fayetteville school board President Steve Percival said Abernathy informed him of his decision Thursday morning.
“ He just said he thought it was in his best interest to stay there for his family and himself, ” Percival said.
At a special meeting Monday, the Fayetteville school board unanimously authorized Percival to negotiate a contract to hire Abernathy, who has worked for the Bryant district since 2003, and bring it back for final approval.
Percival said he presented an offer to Abernathy on the phone Wednesday afternoon, and Abernathy indicated he would discuss it with his family and get back to Percival the following morning.
After getting the news Thursday, district officials issued a release that stated, “ We wish him all the best in his career and appreciate the opportunity to have considered his application. ”
Mixed reactions Board member Becky Purcell said she thinks Abernathy would have been a good fit for the district. “ I told him during our interview process that I wouldn’t vote to offer the job to him unless I was completely convinced, ” she said. “ It is disappointing that we aren’t going to get him up here... because he was a great candidate, ” board member Susan Heil said. “ We’ll move on. ” The Bryant School District released its own press release about Abernathy’s decision. In the release, Bryant Board of Education President Brian Passmore said he was happy Abernathy decided to stay. “ We are elated that Richard will continue to serve our community and district, ” Passmore said in the release. “ His progressive leadership is appreciated not just in our community but also across the state; so, we understand that other districts would seek to employ him. ”
Salary talks Percival declined to give any details on the salary he offered, saying he didn’t want to publicize it since the district will have to negotiate a figure with a future applicant. He said he didn’t put an offer in writing when he presented it over the phone.
“ I didn’t develop a sample contract, ” he said.
Abernathy makes $ 142, 000 a year as Bryant superintendent, which he said is one of the lowest salaries among superintendents in districts with 7 A high schools. That amount is nearly $ 54, 000 less than New’s salary.
Abernathy said his school board had been polling other comparable districts to see what his salary should be, but it never promised an adjustment if he decided to stay. The board hasn’t made any adjustments to his contract since he applied for the job in Fayetteville, he said.
“ I have always said, and people don’t believe me, but compensation was not the only thing being considered, ” Abernathy said. “(Percival ) made a fair offer. ”New is scheduled to make $ 196, 347 this year, according to Greg Mones, director of human resources for the Fayetteville district. That is his base salary and does not include benefits such as insurance and professional membership dues.
New also is scheduled to earn a $ 50, 000 longevity bonus in June. He has served as superintendent since 1996.
Try, try again The latest superintendent search was handled in-house, with Percival accepting the applications personally. Percival said he will probably discuss reopening the search at the next board meeting, which is scheduled for 5 p. m. May 29. The board will explore the possibility of hiring a search firm to handle the next process, he said. “ That’s something for the board to decide, ” Percival said. “ At the very minimum, it’ll be an agenda item at the May board meeting. I suspect we’ll look to engaging a search firm at this point. That’s just my opinion. ” Purcell said Percival sent an e-mail to board members Thursday notifying them of Abernathy’s decision and saying he would try to have some information on search firms by the next meeting.
“ I want to see what information comes back and hear what the other board members think, ” Purcell said. “ The good thing is we still have plenty of time (before New leaves ). ”
The board’s plan had been to hire Abernathy and allow him to begin working next school year, possibly as early as July, then take over when New retires.
Percival said he thinks the idea could have worked, but given the time frame for New’s departure, there now is less opportunity for a new hire to work under him.
“ I think the model is still solid, but we may not get a chance to take advantage of it, ” he said. District decision process
Abernathy was first interviewed by the school board on April 15. The interview, held in closed session, lasted nearly three hours and was followed by an hour of discussion among board members. The board then voted to invite him back for a follow-up visit.
The superintendent candidate visited Fayetteville on May 2 and Saturday for a series of community meetings leading up to the special meeting Monday.
The visit included sessions with teachers; principals; parent-teacher association presidents; and representatives of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, the city and the University of Arkansas. He also had a social dinner with board members and attended a public reception at the Walton Arts Center.
“ I enjoyed watching him interact with the community, ” Heil said.
Abernathy applied for the job on Feb. 29, the last day applications were being accepted.
The district received 11 total applications, and Abernathy was one of four finalists named after a special board meeting on March 27. The other finalists were Fayetteville Associate Superintendent Randy Willison, the only in-district employee to apply, and two applicants from other states. Almost as soon as they were named finalists, the out-of-state candidates took other jobs before interviews could be scheduled. The board decided against interviewing Willison following a special meeting on April 2. Willison said he was disappointed to hear that Abernathy isn’t taking the job. “ I think he would have been a great superintendent, ” he said. Willison said he would like to become a superintendent at some point, but he currently plans to come back to the district as associate superintendent next year. “ They had a good candidate they felt very good about, ” he said of the school board. “ I’ve never been a superintendent before, and I presume that’s the reason (I wasn’t interviewed ), and I respect that. ”
Hiring history Percival, the only current board member who was involved with hiring New in 1996, said the superintendent position is a good job that should attract a quality administrator.
“ I think it is, ” he said. “ You get to work with one of the strongest teaching and administrative staff in the state. ”
The district experienced a setback in its superintendent search before New was hired.
Superintendent Winston Simpson left the district in 1994, and Assistant Superintendent Roy Kaar became the interim superintendent until a permanent replacement could be hired.
The first search ended in the summer of 1995 when contract negotiations reportedly broke down with the board’s top finalist. The board then reopened the search in the 1995-96 school year and selected New, who started in June 1996.