Palisades Charter High School’s board has begun the search for an interim executive director to replace Amy Dresser-Held, who leaves June 30. After a lengthy discussion at the April 20 meeting, the board charged Dresser-Held, interim Principal Marcia Haskin, Chief Business Officer Greg Wood, and Human Resources Director Jennifer Avant Eustice (who is out on maternity leave) to review applications and bring a short list of candidates to the board for consideration. Board chair Karen Perkins told Dresser-Held, ‘It would be important to have someone to start soon to work with you, so you can do some explaining, and it’s seamless when you go.’ Dresser-Held has accepted a position at a start-up charter school, and she told the Palisadian-Post on Monday that she will announce the name of the school soon.   To provide continuity in leadership, Haskin (who came out of retirement to fill the position) will stay through the 2010-11 school year.   The board will continue to search for a permanent principal and/or executive director with the assistance of consultants from the UCLA School Management Program. Perkins stressed at the April 20 board meeting that the hiring of an interim executive director would not circumvent that process.   At a March 9 meeting, the board agreed to hire the consultants for $5,000. The faculty had asked for an objective third party to facilitate the selection process.   ’It’s so we can do some soul-searching and reflection, and it’s to help us learn how we can select what we need and want,’ Haskin said at a board meeting.   The consultants will help decide how upper management should be structured at the school. Should the executive director supervise the principal or the board oversee both positions? Would the school function optimally with both a principal and an executive director or should those roles be consolidated? Right now, the principal reports to the executive director.   The consultants met with the parents on April 7 and worked with the faculty (approximately 120 teachers) this Tuesday and on two other occasions. They will confer with the classified staff and student senate this Friday and the board on May 11.   Dresser-Held and Haskin will be available to the teachers on May 5 and 6 to answer questions about their roles and responsibilities as administrators.   Haskin explained that the consultants are working with the teachers more than the other campus groups because ‘the teachers are going to be evaluated by the leaders and will deal with them on a daily basis. It’s important to have as much of a consensus as we can garner from that stakeholder group.’   Stakeholders are asked to analyze what attributes they want in a leader and what kind of structure they want for upper management. They are also asked to share their vision for the hiring process and to consider what obstacles have prevented PaliHi from securing permanent leadership. In the past two years, the school has had turnover of its principal, director of instruction, operations manager and human resources director for reasons other than retirement.   ’Once all this input is garnered, we will have a terrific snapshot,’ Haskin said.   Haskin plans to present a full report of the compiled information to the board at the May 18 meeting or the first meeting in June. Then, she imagines that a selection committee will be formed and trained. She envisions the interviewing process taking at least two days.   ’As my legacy, I want to leave knowing the school is in good hands,’ Haskin said.   As for the immediate search for an interim executive director, Dresser-Held said that those interested in nominating someone should contact her or Haskin at (310) 230-6623.
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