The Hastings on Hudson BOE 2016-2017
We are pleased to write this letter of recommendation for District Wise Search Consultants for their recent support in our superintendent search. Our Board of Education engaged District Wise after a thorough search of consultants in the New York metro area. We were eager to find a firm who would roll up their sleeves and work side-by-side with us, understanding our needs and tailoring their search to our district. District Wise delivered and we are extremely pleased with the result.
The following are a few of the areas where we found that they truly excelled.
Co-creating the specification with us – We had surveyed our community and had a good idea of what we were looking for in a superintendent. District Wise then conducted community forums to get more nuance around our key requirements. This was a critical step as it helped ensure that people’s voices were heard, allowing us to craft a specification that aligned with community desires.
Strategic use of advertising – District Wise suggested a much smaller advertising budget than we had originally planned. In their experience, a few targeted ads in the right spots successfully signaled that we were looking without wasting time and money. This turned out to be a smart idea.
Thoughtful and proactive candidate search – Rather than sit back and wait for candidates to apply or rely on old lists of known professionals, District Wise proactively networked to find candidates who weren’t looking, but who might be a good fit based on our requirements. This proved to be extremely useful as all five of our final candidates came from this proactive outreach.
Board and community interview process – District Wise was very thorough in preparing materials on all candidates, prepping the board for our interviews, and prepping a community panel for their interviews.
Going above and beyond expectations – We had a compressed schedule within which to find a new superintendent. Despite District Wise’s concerns about this, they agreed to
accelerate all parts of the search, stepping up and delivering above our expectations. They took calls over holidays and weekends and worked through a variety of other challenges to make sure all was executed smoothly and on time. They were true professionals.
The search ended successfully with our top choice accepting an offer a few weeks ago. The incoming superintendent is one whom both the board and community are excited to welcome to the district. We are thankful for the support and guidance that District Wise provided from start to finish.
The Hastings on Hudson BOE 2016-2017
Babylon Union Free School District
One of the smartest decisions that our Board of Education made was to utilize the skills of the District Wise Search Consultants. Bob Freier and Joann Kaplan are an outstanding combination. District Wise not only advertises the search; they recruit and vet candidates who are ideal matches for the district. They are extremely knowledgeable, honest and conscientious. I was immediately impressed with the organization of our Superintendent search. Bob and Joann listened to our district’s vision of our next Superintendent. They helped us every step of the way. Bob and Joann not only provided us with extraordinary candidates, they exceeded our expectations! Through their diligence our Board of Education was able to choose our district’s next Educational leader.
Babylon BOE 2014-2015
Lisa McKeown
President, Babylon Union Free School District Board of Education
Herricks Union Free School District
The Herricks School District embarked on a very difficult task in March 2014. We learned that our two top administrators were going to retire within 6 months of each other. The Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Personnel was planning to leave on
December 31, 2014 and our Superintendent the following
June 30th, 2015. Our original plan was to have the current Superintendent conduct a search for the retiring Assistant Superintendent. The Board would interview search firms, select one and have the company find a suitable replacement to fill the Superintendents position.
After interviewing three firms, two of which were some of the oldest and most experienced in the education search field, the Herricks Board of Education selected District Wise Search Consultants. Both Bob Freier and Joann Kaplan seemed to understand how education in New York State had changed recently, and, being past school board members was truly an invaluable benefit. More importantly, they understood us, knew the daunting and challenging task ahead and made us feel most comfortable about their abilities to work side by side with us as a team. We knew they would present us options and offer us opinions on ways to be successful at the search and selection process. We were so impressed with them, their professionalism and sincerity, that we revisited our decision about the Assistant Superintendent replacement and added that search to Bob and Joann’s responsibilities.
Hiring District Wise Search Consultants was the best decision we made. One cannot do better than them and their expertise. Bob and Joann have the intellect, values, professionalism and passion for this work. The candidates brought to us were of the highest caliber, were exactly what we were looking for and created for us a great challenge, which person to choose for both positions. In the end, they exceeded all our goals and expectations, and I am confident they will do the same for you and your district’s search as well.
Herricks BOE 2014-2015
James Gounaris
President, Herricks Union Free School District Board of Education
Glen Cove City School District
Our Board was very happy with the services provided to us by District Wise Search Consultants, culminating in a very strong slate of candidates for our Superintendent search. Bob and Joann assisted us in every aspect of our search, to whatever extent -- sometimes large, sometimes small -- that we chose. That is, we were able to tailor DWSC's services to our liking. For example, they took the reins of our public forum, while staying out of the Board's private deliberations without interference. They knew when to step back and when to step in, because Bob and Joann are former Board Trustees themselves ... and because they listened to us. Perhaps most important, DWSC has an outstanding network of contacts in the Long Island educational community, which provided for a very strong pool of candidates. They then vetted those people for us, limiting our time commitment to the interviewing and consideration of only the strongest candidates who were the best match for our District. We had several great choices among our slate, ultimately choosing a Superintendent who we are unanimously thrilled about. Although DWSC was just coming into this line of business, to our Board, we preferred having consultants who understood what it was like to be a Board Trustee, and who were familiar with the Long Island educational community in particular.
Glen Cove BOE 2012-13
Joel Sunshine
President, Glen Cove City School District Board of Education
East Williston Union Free School District
I am entering my fifth year as a member of the East Williston School District Board of Education. I have served the last four years with Mr. Robert Freier. During the last two years, I held the position as President with Mr. Freier as my Vice President.
Throughout those years I found Mr. Freier to be a truly dedicated trustee. As officers of the Board, we have discussed every issue at length. I can say with confidence that every decision he made was always for the benefit of the students.
Our Board was very fortunate to have Mr. Freier around during this past school year. In early April 2012, a week before school break, our Superintendent informed the Board that she would be leaving for another school district. Suddenly we were faced with a rapidly approaching end of the school year and the need to start a Superintendent search. Fortunately, Mr. Freier being an executive recruiter and chief principal of his own Search Firm was there to help.
He immediately went to work by speaking to people who we considered "leaders" in the educational field or as he calls them “his trusted network”. He developed a list of names that we would target. Mr. Freier developed an online application and the position was then posted. Each candidate that applied was ensured confidentiality so that no resumes would go through the central office.
Mr. Freier managed and handled the entire recruiting process for the Board. He also had the difficult task of scheduling interviews and juggling the availability of all parties involved. This often included Saturdays and Sundays and several late night sessions. All of the prospects on the initial target group were interviewed. In addition, those who were not solicited, but applied through the posting process, were vetted and researched by Mr. Freier. The Board was then able to have informative discussions about all candidates.
The Board narrowed its choices down to two outstanding candidates. They each meet with representatives from the community, staff and administration. Ultimately, the choice the Board made was one from its initial target group.
Mr. Freier, along with the district’s attorney, prepared for the Board a contract that was competitive both in terms and salary. Mr. Freier’s insight helped the Board to collectively come up with terms and conditions that would go into our offer, which was ultimately accepted.
Our district owes Mr. Freier its gratitude for being in charge of this process and helping East Williston to choose an exceptional candidate.
Mark Kamberg
President, East Williston School District Board of Education
Springs Union Free School District
Here at Springs School we have, in recent memory, conducted a number of Superintendent searches but none as successful as the one conducted by District Wise Search Consultants. They have a process that has been developed through experience and makes perfect sense.
As a small district on the Eastern End of Long Island we have in past searches had a dearth of stellar candidates – not so this time! DWSC is capable of not just pulling in candidates through traditional advertising means but of reaching out to unsuspecting potential candidates as well. In this manner, we had both a wide slate to choose from and a number of candidates who were in the mix because they wanted to be in OUR school, not just any school. DWSC was truly instrumental in finding the perfect candidates for us and our particular situation. In fact, the ultimate decision was a very difficult one as we really had to parse the different qualifications of our finalists against each other.
In addition to exceptional candidates, DWSC brings incredible communication to the table. The process is thoroughly explained and Bob and Joann are always available to answer questions or just be there for support. They are both delightful to work with and are pretty much on call once they are part of your search team.
I can’t recommend them highly enough for both their results and ease of working with.
Springs BOE 2016-2017
Barbara Dayton
President, Springs Union Free School District
Seaford Union Free School District
Joann and Bob from District Wise were instrumental in our search for a Superintendent of Schools. They were professional and always available to answer any questions. Not only did they present qualified candidates to the board, but they also provided valuable advice based on their knowledge and experience. I wholeheartedly recommend them for your search.
Seaford BOE 2016-2017
Bruce Kahn
President, Seaford Union Free School District
Shoreham Wading River Central School District
The Shoreham-Wading River Central School District had the opportunity to work with Bob and Joann of District Wise in connection with our recent Superintendent search. District Wise took the time to learn the needs and desires of our community through a series of focus groups, and spent considerable time with the Board of Education, to tailor the search for our new Superintendent. A comprehensive background was assembled for all the candidates, and information was timely provided to the Board. The pool of candidates provided to the District was truly impressive.
District Wise, through almost daily contact, ensured that the hiring timeline was adhered to, despite the varied requests from a seven member Board. The process resulted in excellent final candidates for Board consideration. While difficult, the Board had the benefit of selecting from highly qualified applicants. Throughout the process, professionalism was maintained and confidentiality was stressed.
Joann was always available and took a true interest in our District and it's culture. Even after our new Superintendent was announced and appointed, she continued to reach out to ensure the District, Board and new Superintendent got off to a productive start. It was a pleasure working with them from start to finish.
Shoreham-Wading River BOE 2016-2017
John Zukowski
President, Shoreham Wading River Central School District
Sachem central School District
The Sachem Board of Education would like to officially send this letter of recommendation thanking you for your excellent efforts to locate a new Superintendent of Schools for our school district.
You listened carefully to the Board’s requirements for this most important position, and provided us with a slate of qualified candidates.
Once again, your knowledge of the recruitment process and skills in this area provided us with a prospective candidate that not only meets but exceeds our goals for this position.
Sachem BOE 2015-2016
Anthony Falco
President, Sachem Central School District
Hewlett/Woodmere Union Free School District
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Joann Kaplan, Bob Freier, and District Wise Search Consultants.
The hiring of a new superintendent is the most important thing any school board can do and an opportunity not every trustee gets to engage in during their term of service. When that opportunity presented itself in Hewlett-Woodmere, we not only knew how important the final decision would be, but also the importance of how we handled the process in order to ensure that our community felt that they were included and that their voices were heard.
After interviewing multiple search firms we felt that the more “traditional” firms (comprised of retired superintendents using their network of fellow superintendents to find new superintendents) seemed a little incestuous and would not give us the kind of process we and our community was looking for. After meeting Bob & Joann, we felt extremely confident not only in their professional abilities, but also that their experience as former board members would be invaluable in helping them understand our needs from our perspective and the perspective
of our community. It was one of the best decisions we ever made.
Each interaction or event with Bob & Joann only went to reinforce our belief that we made the right decision in selecting them. They conducted multiple meetings with our staff and community members and all of the feedback we received was outstanding. They made everyone feel included, listened to, and confident in the process. They accommodated our requests to make it as open a process as possible and we finished the feedback phase having given everyone in our community every opportunity to express themselves.
The slate of candidates they recruited and provided to us was outstanding and the individuals were all in line with what we, and our community, had said we were looking for. Their guidance and feedback through the interview process was invaluable and they maintained a great balance of helping us along while still making sure it was our process. I don’t think it could have gone any better.
Once we came to the final decision and made an offer to the final candidate, they were an integral part of working out the some of the finer details and getting us all to the finish line. As president of the Board I was on the phone with them constantly and they were always available, always willing to provide their best advice, and I honestly believe we would not have been able to be as successful in our outcome if not for them.
When I was checking their references after their initial interview I called a board president from a district they had recently completed a search with and while I was in the middle of introducing myself and telling him why I was calling he stopped me and said, “I don’t mean to cut you off but let me make this simple: Hire them! They were wonderful, they “get it” and you won’t have any regrets having used them.” He was 100% correct and I hope to one day have the opportunity to give the same endorsement when I get a call from someone thinking about using them in the future.
If you have any questions, or I can be of any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to call.
Hewlett/Woodmere BOE 2014-2015
Scott McInnes
President, Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools
Poughkeepsie City School District
The Board of Education of the Poughkeepsie City School District utilized the services of District Wise Search Consultants for its Superintendent Search conducted during the Spring of 2013. Bob Frier and Joann Kaplan were friendly, hardworking and diligent in their efforts to understand the District's needs. District Wise spent countless hours in person, by telephone and utilizing electronic communication to carefully plan and carry out a process and timeline that allowed the Board to meet its goal to hire a new Superintendent for a July 1, 2013 start date.
District Wise successfully recruited applicants which met all of the criteria identified by the Board for its next Superintendent of Schools. In fact, there were a number of excellent candidates that applied for the position and the pool of candidates was qualified and diverse. District Wise's recommendations regarding the search process, media advertisements and places to recruit from, were all well-reasoned, financially conservative and yielded excellent results. The Board ultimately selected Dr. Nicole Williams, who they believe to be an ideal match for the Poughkeepsie City School District. The Board and Dr. Williams are appreciative of the efforts of District Wise and are pleased to have had their assistance.
Poughkeepsie BOE 2012-2013
Ralph Coates
President, Poughkeepsie City School District Board of Education