Rockdale County Superintendent Samuel King is no longer a finalist for Cobb's school chief, another bump in a search slowed by the shallow pool of potential applicants and a special law that limits contract terms.
The months-long search by Georgia's second-largest school district has been hampered by a state law unique to Cobb that limits the length of a superintendent's contract. The law, a 1962 local constitutional amendment, says a superintendent's contract must expire six months after new board members are elected.
Four board members' terms end in 2012, which means the contract for Cobb's next school chief would have to expire by June 2013. Cobb school board Chairwoman Alison Bartlett said the rule has been a barrier to attracting top candidates.
"Your highly qualified superintendents typically get three- to five-year contracts," Bartlett said.
State law says school systems must offer no less than one-year and no more than three-year contracts.
Sitting Superintendent Fred Sanderson joined the district in 2005 and has a three-year "evergreen" contract, meaning a new year is added after every year of service, spokesman Jay Dillon said. It was unclear how the 1962 law affected Sanderson's contract.
King and the school board couldn't reach an agreement about contract specifics, according to multiple people familiar with the search who asked not to be named because of the confidential hiring process. King did not respond to phone and email messages.
Cobb had not announced a finalist but people familiar with the search had said King was the board's choice. Bartlett would not comment on King's candidacy, but said the board expected to name a finalist in less than three weeks. Sanderson retires June 30, and the board must wait 14 days after a finalist is announced to make the hire official.
Don Rooks, a consultant on school superintendent searches for the Georgia School Boards Association, said the Cobb school district contracted with the association to handle three parts of the search -- receiving the applications, having a three-member panel review them and submitting the applications plus the panel’s analysis to the board.
"We received 16 applications, less than normal,” Rooks said.
According to the state school boards association, eight candidates fit in the category of closest to what the Cobb school board wanted; five were in a category described as next closest to what the board wanted; and three fit in the category described as least matching what the board said it wanted.
The association works on superintendent searches that are mostly for small to medium school systems, but usually sees no less than 30 applications, Rooks said.
Last year’s superintendent search in suburban Fayette County had 30-plus applicants, he said.
Cobb's school board has been under scrutiny recently by taxpayers and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits the district.
AdvancED, the parent of SACS, was looking into governance concerns with the school board. Complaints centered around the board's vote to ditch the balanced calendar, and the exclusion of some board members from the decision-making process.
Last week, the agency said it would not investigate the district but would monitor the board, and directed members to get more training, make sure to follow the state's open meeting laws and to use data and evidence in decision making.
The DeKalb and Atlanta school districts are also looking for new superintendents. DeKalb lost its top candidate after negotiations fell through, but continues to review previous applicants in hopes of having a new superintendent by July 1. In Atlanta, recruiting and the application process are ongoing. The names of three finalists are expected to be made public in mid-June if the search stays on schedule.
Last month, Fulton County hired Charlotte school administrator Robert Avossa after a swift search.
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