'Characteristics that our community wants': A look into the CHCCS superintendent selection process

Nyah Hamlett, the current superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, will conclude her tenure in June, prompting a search to fill the position. 

The CHCCS Board of Education officially opened up the application for interested candidates after a meeting on March 6 with Sam Thorp, the N.C. School Boards Association’s assistant legal counsel for superintendent searches. 

CHCCS is using NCSBA's superintendent search service, which was also used in the 2020 search resulting in Hamlett’s selection, CHCCS Board Chair George Griffin said. According to a brochure from the organization, the fee for the search is $21,500 plus expenses such as advertising or travel. 

Superintendent applications are handled by NCBSA’s team of attorneys, who perform background checks and synthesize applicant information into profiles for the CHCCS school board to review, Thorp said. 

“The significant way that we differ from other search firms is that we don't ever screen [applicants], we don't ever tell the board which application to look more closely at, who to interview or not interview, who to hire,” he said.

In addition to the application, CHCCS Chief Communications Officer Andy Jenks said NCBSA worked with the CHCCS school board to create a survey for the community to provide input on the qualities they hope to see in the future superintendent. 

Thorp said the survey opened on March 17 and is available until April 7. It is six languages to encourage an accessible forum for the community, Jenks added. 

“It is the responsibility of any board of education to hire a district superintendent, but a critical component of that is hiring a person who just reflects the qualities and characteristics that our community wants in the next leader of the school district,” Jenks said.

A similar survey was offered during the last selection cycle, but Griffin said changing viewpoints on education and tight budgeting may lead to different desires from the community. 

Thorp said there are currently high levels of applicant interest in rural districts for superintendent positions, so he believes CHCCS, as a relatively high-performing school district in a coveted area to live and work, will receive at least 30 applicants.

While the timeline for the process is dependent upon the number of applicants, he said NCBSA tentatively plans to present applicant profiles and community survey results to the board at a meeting on April 17.

Thorp said the board hosts the first round of individual applicant interviews in closed session, and then two to four finalists are selected for additional review. The seven member board must come to a majority vote to determine the new superintendent, Griffin said.

“The rule of thumb is to try and find candidates, at least [pick] your finalists that pretty much everybody on the board is on board with,” Griffin said. “It's very rare to want to hire a superintendent with a four to three vote.”

He said he hopes for a superintendent who has a strong understanding of curriculum and school finance, and prioritizes the array of needs students possess, ranging from mental health to college preparation.

“There's a difference between hearing people and listening, and anybody can allow you to talk, but it's different when you really are listening and you're taking people's needs and viewpoints into consideration,” Griffin said. 

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