PVUSD Principal/Asst. Principal Selection Process

This fact sheet summarizes the PVUSD process for selecting Principals and Assistant Principals.  The UPC President provides this fact sheet to UPC representatives at schools where principal or assistant principal vacancies occur, and to parents selected to serve on interview committees.  All parents serving on an interview committee are encouraged to contact the UPC President following your service.  Your input will assist UPC in evaluating the helpfulness of this fact sheet.

Applicable PVUSD Governing Board Policy

Recommending Principals (Policies and Procedures 3.1.2.2):

1.        The Superintendent and two Assistant Superintendents will screen external candidates.

2.        The Superintendent and at least two Assistant Superintendents will interview all the qualified internal candidates and the top external candidates.

3.        The Superintendent will provide three candidates to the following committee:  the appropriate Assistant Superintendent (Elementary or Secondary); two (2) Principals from the same level where the vacancy exists; two (2) Certificated staff from the same school where the vacancy exists; two (2) Classified staff from the same school where the vacancy exists, and four (4) Community Members from the same school where the vacancy exists.  (If all efforts have been made to meet the committee membership criteria, exceptions may be made.)

4.        The Committee will interview the three candidates and each committee member will articulate the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.  This information will be submitted to the Superintendent.

5.        The Superintendent will recommend the final candidate to the Governing Board and will articulate his/her reasoning for this recommendation.  Resumes of all the candidates and the articulation submitted by the committee members will be available for review by the Board members.

NOTE:  Under extenuating circumstances, and with School Council input, the Superintendent may bypass procedures for recommending administrative positions and recommend the appointment of a qualified individual for consideration of the Governing Board.

Recommending Assistant Principals (Policies and Procedures 3.1.2.3):

In the case of selecting Assistant Principals, the policies and procedures are basically the same as those for principals, with a few differences.  The committee is comprised of one (1) principal (normally, the principal from the school with the vacancy), one (1) certified staff, one (1) classified staff, and two (2) community members.  Each member asks two questions (so ten questions are asked in total).  The recommendations provided by the committee first go to the supervising principal and the Assistant Superintendent for review before being presented to the Superintendent.

Please Keep In Mind:

• The committee is purely advisory in nature and merely provides written comments for use by the Superintendent and Governing Board.

• The final decision is made by the Governing Board upon the recommendation of the Superintendent.

• All business of the committee is STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.  That includes any information about the three candidates (including their names), the comments of any committee members or candidates, and the conclusions of any committee members.

• The reasons for the strict confidentiality policy include the need to respect the privacy of applicants who may be currently employed in the metro Phoenix area (including in our own district), and the importance of allowing the district to notify applicants who are not selected rather than having them hear the news “through the grapevine.”

•  Because the district is interested in the opinions of each individual committee member rather than in a group consensus, it is unnecessary and inappropriate to attempt to influence the opinions of others before, during, or after the interviews.

 
FAQs about the Selection Process:

How long does the entire process take?  Typically, the process from job posting to the announcement of hiring takes just a couple months, although this may vary by situation.

How and when are the interview committee members chosen?  Approximately one month before the committee interviews take place, the UPC President contacts the school's UPC Representatives and asks them to identify parents for committee membership.  Those parents might be UPC reps, PTO board members, School council members, or other parents from the school community.   (The teachers and classified employees from the school are selected through their respective professional organizations.  The principals are selected by the principals’ association.)

Can committee members obtain copies of the job posting and advertisements?  Yes.  Ask the office of the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.

How and when do committee members receive the candidates’ application packets?  Application packets, including completed applications, resumes, and references, are typically delivered to each committee member's home by courier just a few days (or even a day) before the interviews.  Remember, these are strictly confidential.

When and where are the committee interviews held?  The interviews are held in the evening at district offices and last approximately four hours.

What are the committee interviews like?  The interviews are very structured and formal. 

•  Before the interviews:  The first 45 minutes is for committee members only.  The Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources describes the interview process and each individual member shares his or her interview question(s).  The following three hours are devoted to interviewing the candidates, one at a time.  (Candidates are asked to arrive 10 minutes early in case the committee is ready to interview them early.)

• During the interviews:  The Assistant Superintendent (or Principal, in the case of Assistant Principal Interviews) acts as chair to facilitate each interview.  Each committee member asks his or her one question (two for assistant principal interviews).  The same set of questions must be asked of all three candidates.  Note taking is permitted during the interviews, so be sure to write down your own thoughts, reactions, and observations about each candidate.  Each interview lasts approximately 45 minutes.

• After each interview:  When all questions have been asked, each committee member has 15 minutes to complete a written form detailing their opinion of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses, as well as their overall comments.  You may feel that it is difficult to complete the comment sheets without seeing all the candidates to compare; it is possible to include your final thoughts, comparisons, and conclusions on the last candidate's sheet.  There is no discussion among committee members between interviews. 

• At the end of the final interview:  After all the interviews are complete and the written forms for each candidate have been collected, each committee member completes the district's “Committee Feedback” form.  After the forms are completed, a short discussion is allowed but no consensus is expected. 

Is it possible that more than one school will interview the same candidate?  Yes.  The Superintendent, with Governing Board approval, makes the final decision regarding the school assignment.

How and when do committee members (and the community) find out about the final selection?  The official announcement is made publicly to committee members and the entire community at the following Governing Board meeting.

Preparing Questions for Committee Interviews:

Question Development

The parent members of the committee may want to involve the larger parent community in preparing questions.  Consider the attributes of a successful principal, identify the values and needs of your specific school community, and brainstorm suggested interview questions.  Key subject matter categories include:  leadership, communication, discipline, community involvement, professional development, and task/time management.

Important Restrictions and Considerations

Remember that the same set of questions must be asked of each candidate.  Be sure to avoid illegal types of questions such as inquiries related to marital status, number of children, age, etc., and any personal questions that are not related to professional qualifications!

In addition, remember that each committee member is entitled to only one question (two in assistant principal interviews), and the questions will not be shared until the evening of the interviews.  Therefore, it is a good idea for each committee member to have at least one back-up question in the event that there is duplication or a particular issue or area has not been addressed.

The final questions (and back-up questions) should be confidential. This will ensure that the process is fair and that no one candidate could have an advantage in knowing and preparing for questions in advance.

Sample Attributes of a Successful Principal

Approachable

Flexible

Morally sound, ethical

Visible on campus

Visionary

For More Information, Consider These Sites

Indicators for Effective Principal Leadership in Improving Student Achievement