College Station ISD School Board To Conduct Its First External Superintendent’s Search In At Least 17 Years

Screen shot from a document produced by N2Learning and provided by College Station ISD.
Screen shot from a document produced by N2Learning and provided by College Station ISD.

For the first time in at least 17 years, College Station ISD school board members are hiring consultants to do an external search for the district’s next superintendent.

There was a unanimous vote during a special meeting on Monday to hire a search firm is based in a Dallas suburb.

A partner in N2Learning of Plano, former CSISD superintendent Eddie Coulson, will be one of two consultants. Former CSISD principal and teacher Brad Lancaster, is a a senior associate.

Before the vote, at least two board members considered choosing another interested party whose consultants had no relationship or history with CSISD.

Board vice president Joshua Benn said “I think we out to be completely outside of what we’re comfortable with. We have to be comfortable with whoever we hire. But as far as who’s doing that, who is leading us in that process, getting that different perspective, there is a lot of value to.”

Board member Blaine Decker, who seconded the motion to approve hiring Coulson and Lancaster, said “N2, they’re small. They’re hungry. I like that.” “These guys are up and coming.” “I want to be the district they point to and say ‘Look what we did for them.'”

Board president Jeff Horak said he had a “gut feeling” about hiring Coulson and Lancaster, adding “I do business on looking people in the face. And I feel like I can read a whole lot on what a person is telling me by that.”

The board did not determine a timeline for the search. Departing superintendent Mike Martindale said the board would not be rushed by spending April collecting applications and getting community feedback, spending May screening and interviewing applicants, and naming a lone finalist in the first part of June.

The external search comes after the last three CSISD superintendents…Martindale, Coulson, and Clark Ealy, were all internal promotions.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials provided by College Station ISD and produced by the search firm that was hired during the March 27, 2023 CSISD board meeting.

Click below to hear comments from the March 27, 2023 CSISD board meeting.

 

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