Board makes Bohn-dry pick

(Column by Miles Smith, LPR Editor)

As a general rule, you don’t fix something that isn’t broken.
And, in all likelihood, the Lockhart school board’s decision to go with TASB’s Executive Search Services wasn’t a bad move. After all, that’s the firm that landed Dr. Susan Bohn, whom many are sorry to see go after she put together three years that were arguably indicative of a culture change and positive attitude adjustment among the district’s teachers, staff and students. There’s reason to believe they can duplicate 2015’s effort and land the district another up-and-coming administrator who can continue LISD’s current business model of fostering a culture of excellence.
But I don’t know. I was really rooting for them to break away from the safe pick and take a flier on Jenny Preston Educational Consulting.
Frankly, I liked the education veteran’s candor. Dr. Preston is responsible for finding Aledo ISD’s new superintendent … one who will take over this summer for the retiring professional who’s manned the post the past five years.
That superintendent she found, of course, is Dr. Bohn. Her firm purportedly doesn’t limit itself to candidates who are looking for jobs, she said. Her firm scouts candidates who aren’t actively looking … those who are doing a stand-up job for their districts. For Aledo, Bohn was among those Preston approached.
And on Monday, here she was in Lockhart, standing defiantly at the podium, trying to convince a board of seven individuals whose superintendent she just hired away that she can find them a worthy replacement.
That takes guts. It takes moxie. It’s representative of someone who’s really going to put themselves out there for you and your district.
She was willing to guarantee her work. If a superintendent flies the coop before the two-year mark, she’s willing to start the search over again … pro bono.
“You need one person, but you need a candidate pool to find that one person,” she said.
It’s not just bravado. There’s reason to believe she knows what she’s doing, having helped scout and find candidates that major Dallas-area suburbs have ultimately hired as their top school district administrators.
What’s done is done, though. TASB’s the pick, and I’m sure they’ll do a good job using their extensive resources to find Lockhart a suitable finalist.
Here’s hoping they can throw us another Bohn.