Avon Superintendent Search Process Outlined

AVON, CT — The Avon Board of Education chairman on Monday outlined the process for finding a new superintendent.

Superintendent of Schools Gary Mala has resigned to become director of EASTCONN, a public, non-profit, regional educational service center, school officials said. Mala has been the local schools chief since March 2011.

His resignation is effective Sept. 1, and on Monday board of education Chairman Houston Putnam Lowry outlined the search process.

The school board has not decided on whether to hire an interim yet he said.

Here is the rest of the process, according to Lowry:

• The first step will likely be retaining a consulting firm to help in the superintendent search, Lowry said. "Considering the cost of this type of endeavor, a formal request for proposal will almost certainly have to be done. The RFP process will likely take a couple of months and we are likely to interview the finalists. In short, hiring the consultants will likely take several months," he said.
• The consulting firm will survey the public, "to see what type of superintendent is likely required at this particular time." Lowry added, "As school districts change over time, the skill set required for the superintendent will almost certainly change. The Board will take the consultants’ information and determine what kind of superintendent we want to hire. This will likely take a couple of additional months."
• The position will then be advertised and the consultants will also solicit resumes "through their network of contacts," Lowry said. The initial cut will be through the consultants, he said. Then, the school board will likely conduct a further initial cut of candidates, he said.
• Then the interviews begin, he said.

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