The William S. Hart Union High School District community has spoken on what it wants to see in its next superintendent.  According to the Leadership Associates summary of the online survey and in-person sessions, the community is looking for someone who “will be an advocate for the district and will build upon the good work done over the years.”  “There is a strong desire to make efforts to ensure that William S. Hart UHSD remains one of the true top-tier high school ‘destination districts’ in the nation,” the report reads. “There is energy about the intellectual capital that exists in the district and a desire to fully tap into the possibilities this important resource brings.”  Respondents were asked the following questions:  1. What leadership qualities, characteristics and experiential background are you seeking in the next superintendent?  2. What do you believe are the strengths of the district? Why would someone want to be the next leader?  3. What challenges do you see in the next few years for the district?  In total, there were 1,720 unduplicated responses to the survey in English with a further 53 responses in Spanish. Of those, more than 1,300 classified themselves as a parent or guardian of a child in the district, and almost 90 classified themselves as students. There were 410 teachers who responded, 170 classified employees and 44 administrators.  Respondents were able to choose more than one category.  Hart district governing board member Erin Wilson said she wished there would have been more community input, but overall, she found that the community is, for the most part, aligned with what she thinks a superintendent candidate should look like.  “The more you organize it, certain characteristics rise to the top as being better than another,” Wilson said in a phone interview, adding that she knows Leadership Associates said that the number of responses is fairly typical for a survey like this.  According to the report, experience in California public schools, a proven track record of growing academically and experience as a top-level district leader, with finances and a similarly sized district, were all listed as top priorities.  Respondents also listed the following as personal characteristics to look for: accountable; empathetic and a good listener; strong communicator; equity-minded; and innovative.  “The educational partners want an individual who values two-way communication and has a collaborative leadership style, which includes the board, students, staff, parents, institutes of higher education, the city, community-based organizations and other educational partners in the decision-making process when appropriate,” the report reads. “The new leader must be skillful and adept at building and strengthening relationships and partnerships throughout the district.”  Listed as strengths for the district are the teachers, administrators and staff, a focus on opportunities for students and a community that is committed to supporting the district.  The uniqueness of each school was seen as a strength, but also a challenge for the next superintendent to handle tailoring support and resources to a diverse population.  Wilson said she agreed that diversity is good, but that the district should be working toward working as a united district.  Also noted as potential challenges are fiscal stability and funding for special education.  Wilson added that raising the morale of staff across the district is something the next superintendent needs to look at as well.  “The next superintendent needs to be aware of that challenge and overcome it, elevate our district with solid, healthy relationships with our outside partners,” Wilson said.  Wilson added that students need to be the top priority for the district, which she acknowledged should be obvious, but “sometimes we lose that.”  The report will be used by the board to develop interview questions for the finalists, the report states.  “A wealth of information has been gained from the input of educational partners and from the online survey,” the report reads. “We appreciate the opportunity to have gathered these important themes to provide the framework for development of interview questions.”  The district is expected to review and select the list of candidates during a closed session meeting on Nov. 12 before interviewing the selected candidates during closed session on Nov. 21.  The deadline to apply for the position is Oct. 28 at 5 p.m.  Whomever is selected by the board is expected to have a contract approved on Dec. 11 and the new superintendent is slated to officially begin on Jan. 1.  The post Hart district community gives thoughts on next superintendent  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.