- The Alachua County School Board hired McPherson & Jacobson LLC in August for $47,200 to lead the superintendent search process.
- The superintendent search timeline includes stakeholder meetings in October 2026 and aims to name a new superintendent by early March 2027.
- The board plans to extend stakeholder engagement meetings from two to four days and may increase superintendent compensation above $230,000.
The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) held a workshop on Sept. 9, where the board met with the McPherson & Jacobson LLC team to solidify the superintendent search timeline and discuss other parts of the search process.
In August, the SBAC unanimously hired McPherson & Jacobson to conduct the superintendent search for $47,200. Hiring the Omaha, Nebraska-based firm was the next step in what’s been nearly two years without a permanent superintendent for Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS).
The transition has included the hiring of Kamela Patton as interim superintendent, an extension of her contract, and the initiation of a national search for a new superintendent in November 2025.
At a special meeting on Aug. 19, McPherson & Jacobson consultant Debra White and directors Steve Joel and Ralph Ferrie presented a five-phase plan they would implement over an eight- to 12-week superintendent search, hiring and transition process.
The workshop was part of phase one of the plan, which includes setting a search timeline, posting the job opening, identifying stakeholders and determining the desired characteristics and salary for the role.
During the workshop, Joel, who is also a former superintendent in Lincoln, Nebraska, presented the board with a draft search calendar.
- Oct. 13-14 or Oct. 19-20 – stakeholder meetings
- Nov. 9-Jan. 4, 2027 – applications open
- Jan. 20, 2027 – candidate presentations
- Week of Feb. 1, 2027 – first round of candidate interviews
- Week of Feb. 8, 2027 – finalist interviews
- End of February/early March – new superintendent named
While Oct. 13-14 was listed on the calendar as potential dates for the face-to-face stakeholder meetings, Joel said Oct. 19-20 would work better for him and the other members of the firm.
The board and McPherson & Jacobson team also discussed how many stakeholders should participate in the meetings. The firm suggested inviting students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents and community leaders. Board members also suggested adding groups such as the district advisory council and chamber of commerce.
It was decided that Deborah Terry, ACPS’s assistant superintendent for human resources, would compile a list of possible stakeholder groups to send to the board for review. Board members would then be able to add or remove any groups from the list.
There was also a consensus from the board to extend the stakeholder meetings from the original two days to four days to allow more time for engagement. Board member Sarah Rockwell was not present for the workshop.
“Two days would never be enough [time]. Not for the amount of people who need to be connected with this,” Board Vice Chair Leanetta McNealy said.
White said the language in the current contract regarding the number of days for stakeholder engagement meetings “is up to three days,” but the firm “is more than willing to do four” if that’s what the board wanted.
The board agreed to extend the meetings to four days. An amended contract will be brought back reflecting the additional cost of adding a fourth day for the meetings.
With the stakeholder meetings, White said, “The name of the game is transparency.”
“I hear that loud and clear. That’s what you all are looking for,” she told the board. “A transparent stakeholder engagement process without any sticky notes. And we are going to deliver to you on that promise.”
In addition to the stakeholder meetings, Joel said they would provide online surveys for public input on the search process. Once they receive feedback from the meetings and surveys, he noted that McPherson & Jacobson will then issue an oral/written report to the board.
“You can either have one of us come down and physically present it, or we can just send you that. But we would ask that you put that on your website,” Joel said. “We’re certainly going to use that report in our recruiting and vetting process.”
Asked by board member Janine Plavac, Joel said they would likely have the report to the board a week after the stakeholder meetings.
Another topic at the workshop was compensation. Joel said he reviewed the contract for Shane Andrew, who served as the district’s superintendent before Patton.
“I would tell you, you’re going to have to raise the compensation rate to get the person that you want,” Joel told the board.
The final base salary for Andrew, who was fired by the SBAC in a split vote in October 2024, was $182,500.
Patton was hired in November 2024 with a base salary of $234,000. This was in addition to a $600 monthly automobile allowance, a $175 monthly cell phone allowance and $2,000 per month for living expenses.
Based on an informal survey conducted, Joel said $230,000 is likely a starting point for a school district superintendent in Florida.
“Some of the more extensively experienced superintendents are going to probably ask for a little bit more,” he told the board. “And again, we’re not asking for any commitment today. Just want to brace you for that.”
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.