Position Title: Superintendent

Salary: $150,000

Closing Date: February 25, 2008

Downloads:

• Job Application
• Job Brochure

The Position

Imagine a place where schools, community services, and arts and recreation programs are integrated to serve the entire Emeryville community. Imagine a school district where every decision is shaped by our guiding principles of:

• Holding high academic, social and professional expectations,
• Creating a sense of family, and
• Inspiring and supporting innovation to end racist and classist practices.

The Emery Unified School District and the greater Emeryville community are seeking a superintendent with the skills and passion required to build on our seven year reform shaped by our guiding principles.

The Community

Though covering only 1.2 square miles, Emeryville reflects a positive example of renewal and transformation. Over the past several decades the area has rapidly changed from a highly industrialized community to one of gentrification and rapid economic development led by an active arts community and a broad base of high tech corporations and one of the nation’s first “green” chambers of commerce. Located directly across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco’s downtown, Emeryville has become prime real estate that has attracted transformation of former industrial sites to corporate headquarters, condos, high-rise apartments, live-work lofts and a major regional retail area. In turn, the combination of local taxes and redevelopment fees provides a healthy contribution to the city. Over the past 20 years the city has almost doubled in population to approximately 8,500 residents and a new general plan is underway to assure that the positive results of economic development continue to benefit the city’s community life.

The district boasts unique relationships with the Emeryville City Council and Chamber of Commerce. The schools benefit from a strong commitment to students by local corporations and the Chamber of Commerce’s Healthy City Initiative (HCI) strongly supports our work with youth, families and community members. District stakeholders include a broad base of community members who meet regularly and are deeply involved in pre-K–12 education and recreation design efforts. With outstanding support from the Emery Education Foundation and the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES), the district is redesigning all educational programs so that students may excel in core academic subjects and prepare for a variety postsecondary choices. The city is now committed to building a new recreation center and community facilities that are integrated into and coordinated with school district facilities as a joint-use “center of community life.”

The District

The school district has substantially recovered from financial bankruptcy, EUSD has since been on an active course to mend itself and to revitalize its relationship with the city and the community at large. Now in sound financial condition, the district maintains a strong reserve. A new spirit of cooperation and collaboration between the district, city and local businesses has resulted in a unified goal of working together to achieve a vibrant community with excellent education opportunities for all students.

The district is composed of an elementary school and a secondary school with a total enrollment of approximately 800 students. Anna Yates Elementary, our K–6 elementary school of approximately 450 students, focuses on providing individual learning experiences for students, and students remain with the same teacher for two consecutive years through fifth grade. In addition to the academic program, enrichment is provided through after school programs and partnerships with the city recreation program and nonprofit organizations. Family ties and student support systems
are stressed.

At Emery Secondary School students, we foster a sense of family by structuring our 7th through 12th grade students into small learning communities. Small class sizes in English and math, group advising and individual counseling help provide a strong academic base for students. A variety of afterschool programs include jazz band, gospel choir, dance (modern, samba and Indian kataak, among others), nutrition and community service. Our sports programs include football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball and cricket.

The district sees its cultural diversity as one of our strengths. Although the demographic diversity of our students is 70% African American, 14% Hispanic, 11% Asian and 5% Caucasian and Pacific Islanders, we represent a wide range of world cultures. The district cultivates student voices in school decisions and the school board meets monthly with the city council where student voice in the city’s civic activities is addressed.

These strengths will be integrated into our new joint-use school and city recreation facilities designed to facilitate partnerships that power student success. Emeryville seeks to embody our guiding principles as we reformulate our civic institutions as centers of community life.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to visit the district Web site at www.emeryusd.k12.ca.us to learn more.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria represent standards to be used in the evaluation of applications and in the selection of the superintendent.

Professional Experience and Preparation

• Master’s Degree required
• Current working knowledge of California school finance, curriculum, assessment standards, human resource and facilities management
• Successful leadership/management experience in public and/or private sectors
• School site experience in an urban environment desirable

Personal Characteristics

• Exhibit integrity, sincerity, compassion, courage and forthrightness when working with others
• Confident and caring; a good listener
• Easily approachable and accessible to parents, staff and community
• Use a collaborative approach to problem solving
• Make timely, data-driven decisions and recommendations; follows through
• Energetic and innovative
• A role model with high expectations for self and others

Professional Skills and Abilities

• Embrace and articulate the district’s established vision for education
• Value high academic achievement for all students
• Understand the roles of curriculum, instruction and assessment for student success
• Commitment to school reform and district-wide professional development
• Appreciate the unique EUSD school community and will become an active participant
• Able to manage a budget and communicate financial data in an understandable manner
• Successful experience in collective bargaining
• Develop joint projects with public agencies to augment learning opportunities
• Possess strong organizational skills; thinks outside the box
• Support student programs including special education, ELD, co-curricular activities and sports
• Understand site staffing needs; hold employees accountable for performance
• Work harmoniously with the board, provide timely information and recommendations
• Value parent participation and be responsive to their needs and concerns
• Promote a safe learning environment with high standards for student behavior and mutual respect among students and staff
• A team-builder who is highly visible in the community
• Fully support the Bay Area coalition of equitable schools, a comprehensive K–12 program
  

Application Procedure

All applications will be held strictly confidential. Each applicant is requested to follow the procedures listed below. Those applicants wishing additional information should contact the CSBA adviser at (916) 669-3297. For duplication purposes, please do not bind application materials.

Applications are to be sent to:
Emery Unified School District
c/o Dr. Elaine Collins, Adviser
California School Boards Association
Executive Search Services
3100 Beacon Boulevard, Suite Emery
West Sacramento, CA 95691

• All applicants must provide the following items by the closing date, February 25, 2008 (5:00 p.m.), to be considered:
  A completed Application Information Form. (Please complete as instructed; do not complete by stating “see attached résumé”.) The Application Information Form and brochure may be downloaded via CSBA’s Web page at www.csba.org/es.
• A personal letter of application stating reasons for interest in the Emery Unified School District superintendent position.\
• A résumé providing biographical background information about educational preparation, experience and achievements.
• A placement file and/or five (5) current letters of professional references describing the applicant’s performance in previously held positions.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to arrange to have placement papers or reference letters forwarded in time to meet the February 25, 2008 (5:00 p.m.) deadline. Additional brochures may be requested by calling the CSBA 24-hour Brochure Request Line at (916) 669-3296.

Selection Procedure

A professional screening committee will evaluate the qualifications of each applicant. The board and the screening committee will use the described criteria during the screening, interviewing and final decision-making process. After receiving and studying the report of the screening committee, the board will select and interview the top candidates.

The board will select candidates for the final interviews, conduct the interviews and select the superintendent. Any applicant who contacts a board member with the intent of influencing the board’s decision will be disqualified.

Interviews are scheduled for March 21 and 22, 2008. Travel expenses for those candidates selected for the interviews will be the responsibility of the candidate.

Salary and Contract Terms

The Emery Unified School District Board of Education will offer a salary of $150,000 (competitive and negotiable) plus fringe benefits to the successful candidate, based on that individual’s experience and qualifications. The board intends to offer a multi-year contract.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to provide the district with employment eligibility and verification of citizenship in compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Board of Education