Letter: CASD board member addresses CCIU issue

To The Editor,

I want to correct a number of misconceptions surrounding the School Board’s decision to not engage the CCIU in our search for a Superintendent.  The following represents my opinion and has not been endorsed by either the Board or the District.

The Board had, in fact, anticipated utilizing the services of the CCIU in our search.  However, during our interview with them, CCIU personnel dictated an extensive list of, what they classified as, non-negotiable demands for their acceptance of the engagement.  I asked Mr. Joseph O’Brien, the CCIU team leader, if he was open to compromise on certain of the conditions.  Mr. O’Brien stated that he was not; and that if the CASD Board were not prepared to accept the CCIU conditions, as enumerated, in their entirety, it would be, “a deal killer” from the CCIU’s perspective.  The Board respects the CCIU’s prerogative in the matter and this is writing is not to be construed as a criticism of either the CCIU’s right to establish the terms of their engagements or CCIU’s decision to do so in this instance.  I also want to be clear that the phase “deal killer” was mine, but that Mr. O’Brien agreed that it accurately reflected the CCIU’s position vis a vie the conditions requisite for  their engagement.  That stance made it impossible for the Board to seriously entertain the CCIU proposal further.

Additionally, during the course of those discussions, Mr. O’Brien disclosed that he was currently serving as the mentor of one of the candidates for the very position for which he was proposing to conduct the search.  He also further informed us that he had had two recent conversations with that mentee, during which he discussed the situation extant in the District with them.  I then asked Mr. O’Brien, outright, if he would be willing to terminate that mentorship, should the District elect to engage the CCIU for the search.  He stated unambiguously that he would not terminate that relationship under any circumstances and that the Board would have to accept that decision if we wished to utilize CCIU services for this search.

Many have mentioned the impressive resume of the CCIU in participating in other very successful searches, most notably, Downingtown, Radnor and Unionville.  Those achievements are undeniable.  However, none of the aforementioned tasks reflect the type of challenge currently faced by our District.  That is not to suggest that the CCIU’s strict adherence to their own structured formula cannot be effective.  It merely reflects the Board’s position that we need to maintain the flexibility that will invariably be required of us to identify and hire the best candidate during what must be a national search.

While we might all agree that Mr. O’Brien’s loyalty to his mentee is particularly admirable; the very existence of that mentorship unequivocally disqualifies the CCIU from any further consideration for the engagement.  This decision of the Board in no way reflects upon either the competency or the integrity of either Mr. O’Brien or the CCIU.  They remain in our highest regard and we intend to avail ourselves of their impressive collective skill-set during future endeavors.

Joseph Dunn, Jr.

Member

Coatesville Area School District Board of Education