DOVER — Prioritizing diversity and inclusion. Connecting with the community. Retaining teachers.

Those were some of the qualities community members and educators in the Capital School District said they want to see in their new superintendent, a search that is slated to be complete ahead of a July 1 start date for the new hire.

About 40 or so participants joined a Tuesday town hall, hosted by search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates and seeking to gather stakeholder input to determine ideal characteristics for an incoming leader.

Participants weighed in on what challenges they thought were facing the district — overcoming gaps due to COVID-19; tending to William Henry Middle School, which faced structural damage after an August tornado — and qualities they wanted to see, like a strong background in literacy, someone who will be in the position long term and someone who can look past the data and to the students.

Feedback from the hourlong meeting will be filtered into two documents HYA will create to focus the search: a leadership profile for the new superintendent and desired leadership characteristics. Both documents will be presented to the board for public approval.

“The decision to hire the superintendent is solely the elected officials’,” said Monica Browne, an associate from HYA who led the town hall. “Your board of education members have committed to getting information from you, getting your ideas before they make that decision.”

Board member John Martin, who was in attendance at the town hall, acknowledged the connection to the community.

“We do have a remarkable community, and we have learned, if you have taken residency here, just how interconnected the network is,” he said.

He nudged the community to weigh in and reach out to him or HYA to have their voices and thoughts heard in the process.

“Here’s your chance,” he said, adding that “now is the time for action and to weigh in and to share your perspectives because it is all important.”

Information on the superintendent search is posted on Capital’s website, capital.k12.de.us, under the Discover Capital/Board of Education section.
Capital has been helmed by Interim Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Henderson since July, after former Superintendent Dr. Dan Shelton took the same post in the Christina School District.

HYA hopes to have leadership profiles before the board Feb. 17, with a slate of candidates decided by March 19, and interviews beginning March 24. The second round of interviews are on tap for March 31.

Selection would occur within the first two weeks of April.