Current Superintendent David Smith said at the April 7 School Board Meeting, that he only missed one meeting in 14 years.
The recent absence was due to the sudden death of his brother.
"And man, you you question a lot of things," Smith said. "So I hope I get to make it to retirement, and then I hope I have a long, long retirement with my my family, my friends, but I miss him every day."
Smith announced his impending retirement in January. He’s set to exit the district after 43 total years in July.
To find a replacement, the EVSC partnered with the Indiana School Board Association (ISBA). At the Monday, April 7 EVSC School Board Meeting, Member Chris Kiefer said the interviewing process is on track.
“We are still on schedule with our original timeline (when) the search was launched,” he said. The second round of interviews should be held April 14 and 15, with calls to candidates happening now.
The Board has been working with ISBA Consultant Steve Horton.
During this coming second round of interviews, Horton said very detailed answers are usually sought by school boards, ideally reflecting a candidate with a specific interest in EVSC.
“This is about somebody who wants to be here,” he said in a March EVSC Podcast episode. “Somebody who has done the research and can speak specifically about the school corporation, and about the community, and has an understanding of where the corporation has been, where the corporation wants to be in the future.”
Horton said six to eight candidates are usually interviewed initially.
EVSC Chief Communications Officer Jason Woebkenburg said the school board takes the vetting process very seriously.
“They know they're ultimately choosing a new 'CEO,' a new superintendent, a new leader who's going to have vision and is going to continue the great traditions and continue to moving us forward here, for all of our students in Evansville and Vanderburg County.”
Horton said Superintendents usually only stay on for about three years. He said the fact that Smith stayed for 14, reflects a stable school district, which can be appealing to applicants.
“They're looking at these things and realizing that, you know, ‘gosh, if the predecessor was willing to stay for 14 years, this is a place I want to look at and really consider.’”
Kiefer said the goal is to draft and publish a contract with the new district leader in May, with public hearing. July 1 is the planned start date.
“Once second round interviews are complete, we hope to have a recommendation with a contract for a new superintendent to be posted on the website, as required by statute, 10 days prior to the meeting at which the board will hold the public hearing regarding the contract,” he said.
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