San Marcos CISD unanimously voted Dec. 7 to hire JG Consulting as the firm to handle the district’s upcoming superintendent search.
JG Consulting will help gather input from the community, the board of trustees and district staff to create a candidate profile. The firm will then recruit candidates who fit that profile to apply for the job.
Scott Elliff, a representative with JG Consulting, said he defines superintendent success as focusing on student achievement.
“A superintendent’s success—the No. 1 factor you should look at is their ability to help foster a climate where you can have academic success for all students,” Elliff said. “That should be the No. 1 thing.”
Some trustees questioned whether JG Consulting, a relatively young firm led by James Guerra, had enough experience to manage the search.
Trustee Lupe Costilla said some within the community may be concerned that “more seasoned” superintendent candidates may not apply for the job because a search firm they are unfamiliar with is managing the job.
Guerra said his 12 years experience with superintendent searches has prepared him well to handle the SMCISD superintendent search.
“[Questions of my age and experience are] something I’m not unaccustomed to dealing with,” Guerra said. “There’s always the question of ‘Well you’re young and you might be less experienced than the other firms.’ Well they all got their start at some point. I just happen to have enough experience and the good fortune of starting at such a young age that I’m able to be in the position that I am now.”
Trustee John Crowley said he is tired of hearing former San Marcos residents say they moved out of the city so their kids could attend neighboring school districts. He said he will look for a superintendent who can move the district’s academics forward.
“[Outgoing Superintendent] Mark Eads has done a lot of really good things in San Marcos,” Crowley said. “We passed a bond, and our facilities are really great. And we’ve had some academic achievements, but I’m definitely not happy where we’ve progressed academically.”
Eads announced in September that he planned to retire from public education. The board plans to discuss naming an interim superintendent at their next meeting Dec. 14.
