Board Selects MARE To Head Superintendent Search

The Crawford County R-1 School Board on Thursday selected Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE) to head the search for a new superintendent.

Dr. Kyle Gibbs was announced last week as the next superintendent at Farmington R-7. MARE will be tasked with finding just the third superintendent at Bourbon since 2010.

Gibbs took over for Patricia Thompson for the 2019-20 school year.

The district will pay MARE $4,000.

Board member Jason Gobin motioned to go with the Missouri School Boards Association, which led the last search.

His motioned was seconded by Andrew Graddy, but other board members rejected it, citing the $1,000 cost difference.

Board President Stephen Waldron said one of the issues that turned them off during the last search was that MSBA repeatedly pushed a candidate who ultimately failed a background check.

Ultimately, though, the interview processes between MSBA and MARE were the same. 

Mary Beth Scherer represented MARE at Thursday’s board meeting. She said they work with rural schools and “are not a moneymaking endeavor.”

“It’s a service to districts,” she said.

Scherer said board members may be asked why they would use a search firm. 

“You might get suggestions from friends or neighbors, but when you use a search firm, we work to make sure it’s a merit-based process,” she said. “We do preliminary screening, but we’re just consultants. The decision is yours.”

Scherer said they go through the school’s Annual Performance Report (APR), web page and financial reports to put together the best job description.

“We want to make sure we market you well,” she said. “We work hard to get the best fit for you.”

Scherer said they will find the three best candidates and present them to the board for interviews. She suggested interviewing two the first night and one the second night.

She also cautioned against having more than there candidates because they all start to blend together.

“But it’s up to you if you want more,” Scherer said.