Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District have launched an outreach process to give stakeholders a wide range of opportunities to describe what they would like to see in the District’s next superintendent.
Overseen by Education Support Services (ESS) search consultants, Dr. Suzette Lovely, and Dr. Joseph M. Farley, the process includes focus groups, community forums, interviews, and an online survey. In the coming weeks, Dr. Lovely and Dr. Farley will gather input from a variety of stakeholder groups, including, trustees, school principals, parent leaders, students, employee associations, District office staff, parents, staff members, and residents and community members. Participants will share their thoughts about the strengths of the District, any challenges or needs an incoming superintendent might encounter, and the qualities and experiences the Board should consider in selecting its next superintendent.
Information generated from the outreach will be summarized in a Leadership Profile Report for the incoming superintendent. The profile will be used to screen and interview applicants for the superintendent position. Trends and findings from stakeholder input and online survey data will be presented at the Board’s regularly scheduled meeting of April 19, 2023.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for District stakeholders to let us know what’s important to them as we go through the process of recruiting and selecting our next superintendent,” said CUSD Board President Krista Castellano.
Community forums are scheduled according to District regions, as described below:
Monday, March 20, 2023, at Capistrano Valley High School (Cougar Hall), 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
- For Mission Viejo, Las Flores, Ladera Ranch, Wagon Wheel, Dove Canyon, Coto de Caza, and Rancho Santa Margarita feeder families, and community members
Monday, March 27, 2023, at Aliso Niguel High School (Library), 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
- For Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, and Dana Point feeder families and community members
Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the CUSD District Office (Board Room), 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
- For San Juan, San Clemente, and Rancho Mission Viejo feeder families and community members
Information Concerning the Online Survey
SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH SURVEY
District employees, students, parents, and members of the CUSD community are also invited to complete an online survey to provide views regarding the current state of the District, and with the characteristics and leadership experiences essential for the success of the incoming superintendent. A link to the survey can be found here. The survey is open from March 14 to March 31, 2023.
Education Support Services consultants will recruit and advertise for the superintendent position. Once all applications are received, the consultants will also do extensive vetting and analysis of each candidate, which is expected to take several weeks. The Board will then use the leadership profile to determine which applicants to invite for interviews via a confidential, closed session process. Trustees hope to appoint a new superintendent at its regularly scheduled Board meeting of May 31, 2023. It is anticipated that the superintendent will begin July 1, 2023.
For additional information about the search, please contact search advisers Dr. Farley or Dr. Lovely at slovely@aalrr.com or joefarley@outlook.com.