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Fitzpatrick
ROYAL OAK — Following the retirement announcement of Superintendent of Royal Oak Schools Mary Beth Fitzpatrick, the Royal Oak Schools Board of Education is now looking for a replacement.
According to royaloakschools.org, the Michigan Association of School Boards will be assisting the school board with the process of finding a new superintendent.
The school board is also asking for input from the Royal Oak community to help find the right candidate. Staff, residents and administrators are being asked to provide feedback in an online survey.
The survey will be open until April 11 and includes a variety of questions regarding the skills and qualifications that participants want to see in the next superintendent. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.
The survey results will be sent directly to MASB in Lansing for tabulation, according to royaloakschools.org.
The school board will then publicly consider the input received and develop a candidate profile to guide the process.
The district also will conduct focus groups to give parents, guardians and community members the opportunity to share their views regarding the qualifications desired in a new superintendent.
On April 15, a virtual focus group will take place at 6:30 p.m. for parents, guardians and the community; at 7:30 p.m., a virtual focus group will take place for Royal Oak Schools staff.
The in-person focus group will take place from 6:30 to 7 p.m. April 23 at the Royal Oak Schools Administration Building, 800 De Villen Ave., in the main conference room.
The chosen superintendent will be slated to begin work July 1. Fitzpatrick will retire July 31.
Fitzpatrick told the Review that before her retirement, she is hoping to provide input to help find a good replacement.
“The priority for me is the smooth transition to the next leader for Royal Oak,” she said. “I really want to make sure that I can help as much as possible in that position.”
A timeline of events provided at royaloakschools.org notes that 4 p.m. May 1 will be the application deadline for the people interested in the job.
At 5 p.m. May 9, the school board will be preparing to interview candidates, screening applications, reviewing interview questions and finishing work on the superintendent contract.
Potential candidates will begin to be interviewed from 5:30 to 9 p.m. May 13-14.
On May 16, final candidates will visit and tour Royal Oak Schools and have an open house for meet and greets at 3:30 p.m. The second round of interviews will begin at 5 p.m. May 16.
“The selection of a superintendent is one of the most important responsibilities of a Board of Education,” school board President Tim Ciechorski said in a press release sent by Royal Oak Schools. “We want to ensure that our next leader reflects our community’s values, priorities, and goals. We encourage everyone to participate in this process by providing their input.”
For more information about surveys, input sessions and a timeline of events, visit royaloakschools.org/district/board_of_education/superintendent_search.
