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Superintendent Search 2022

Northville Public Schools Superintendent, Mary Kay Gallagher, will be retiring from the District in June of 2022 after working in NPS since 1985 and serving as the district’s Superintendent for the past decade. It is expected that a new Superintendent will assume the role no later than July 1, 2022.  
April 12, 2022 -- The Northville Board of Education conducted their final round of interviews with the three Superintendent candidates on Tuesday, April 12th. After a multi-month process with significant stakeholder feedback and active deliberation amongst the board,the Board unanimously voted to offer the position to Dr. RJ (Ronald) Webber. 
 

On April 4 and 5, the Board conducted first-round interviews with four candidates. At the conclusion of the first-round interviews, the Board narrowed the search down to three candidates.The second and final round of interviews were conducted on Tuesday, April 12. 

 

“This Board has taken seriously an intense amount of feedback from students, families, instructional and non-instructional staff, building leaders, and central office. We are grateful for the many forms of feedback offered, often with very detailed and heartfelt messaging.  Our search firm, Ray and Associates, provided us with a very strong pool and we identified the top flight leaders through an incredible investment of volunteer Board time," stated Sarah Prescott, NPS Board of Education President.

 

Dr. RJ Webber is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Academics for Novi Community School District in Novi, MI. Dr. Webber has a Bachelors of Arts in History and English with a Secondary Teacher Certification from Alma College, a Masters in Public Administration from University of Michigan, and a Ed.D from Michigan State University.

 

“We believe in Dr. Webber and know our entire community will support him for the best interests of all. While we are sad to see May Kay Gallagher leave us this summer, we are ecstatic to welcome Dr. Webber to our district,” stated Prescott.

 

The Board of Education is entering into contract negotiations with Dr. Webber. Once negotiations are complete, the community will be informed. The tentative start date for the new Superintendent is July 1, 2022.

April 6, 2022 – The Northville Board of Education interviewed four Superintendent candidates over a two day period. On Monday, April 4th, the board interviewed Aaron Baughman, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services for Northville Public Schools in Northville, MI. His interview was followed by Dr. Matthew Barbini, Superintendent of Libertyville District 70 in Libertyville, IL. On Tuesday, April 5th, the Board interviewed Dr. RJ Webber, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services for Novi Community School District in Novi, MI. His interview was followed by Maysam Alie-Bazzi, Executive Director of Staff & Student Services for Dearborn Public Schools in Dearborn, MI.
 
At the conclusion of all candidate interviews, the Board voted to move the following candidates to the finalist interview round:
  • Ms. Maysam Alie-Bazzi, Dearborn Public Schools
  • Mr. Aaron Baughman, Northville Public Schools
  • Dr. RJ Webber, Novi Community School District
 
Finalist interviews will be held on April 12th at Old Village School, 405 W Main Street in Northville, beginning at 8:00 a.m. This public meeting is open to all via in-person or through Zoom. The Board anticipates making a final selection as early as April 12th and no later than April 13th, with a start date for the new Superintendent on July 1, 2022.
 
Finalist Candidate Community Forums
On Monday, April 11, the final interview process includes opportunities for community stakeholders to hear directly from the candidates on questions posed live by the search firm and then provide their impressions via the input survey on each applicant to the Board of Education. Individuals who submitted their interest to participate in the community forum, by the deadline of April 1st, will be notified in the coming days of the specifics, including instructions on where to report for your candidate meeting.
 
The following candidates will be invited for Final interviews:
 
 
Maysam Alie-Bazzi
 
Ms. Maysam Alie-Bazzi, Executive Director of Staff & Student Services for Dearborn Public Schools in Dearborn, MI.
 
Final Interview: Tuesday, April 12 at 8:00 a.m.
 
 
 
 
 
RJ Webber Headshot
 
Dr. RJ Webber, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services for Novi Community School District in Novi, MI.
 
Final Interview: Tuesday, April 12 at 9:15 a.m.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aaron Baughman
 
Aaron Baughman, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services for Northville Public Schools in Northville, MI.
 
Final Interview: Tuesday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
March 25, 2022 -- The Northville Board of Education met on March 24, to discuss, deliberate, and vote on which candidates will be invited for interviews for the position of Superintendent. Board President Sarah Prescott reflected on the candidates, “we had a stellar pool of applicants. Knowing we have been rated the #1 District in Michigan, it is nevertheless extremely gratifying to see the caliber of professionals we have attracted from across the country for our next leader.”
 
First-round interviews will take place on Monday, April 4, 2022, beginning at 5 p.m. at Hillside Middle School in the Cafetorium. Another round of first-round interviews will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, beginning at 4 p.m.at Hillside Middle School in the Cafetorium.
 
The following candidates will be invited to interview: 
 
 
Maysam Alie-Bazzi
Maysam Alie-Bazzi, Executive Director of Staff & Student Services for Dearborn Public Schools in Dearborn, MI.
 
First-round Interview: Tuesday, April 5 at 5:30pm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Matthew Barbini
Dr. Matthew Barbini, Superintendent of Schools for Libertyville District 70 in Libertyville, IL.  
 
First-round Interview: Monday, April 4 at 6:30pm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aaron Baughman
Aaron Baughman, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services for Northville Public Schools in Northville, MI.
 
First-round Interview: Monday, April 4 at 5:00pm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RJ Webber Headshot
Dr. RJ Webber, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services for Novi Community School District in Novi, MI. 
 
First-round Interview: Tuesday, April 5 at 4:00pm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
March 22, 2022 -- The deadline to apply for superintendent was March 13th. The Board of Education reviews the list of applications in closed session on March 24th and will narrow down the list for interviews. The first round of interviews will take place on April 4th and 5th, with finalist interviews on April 11th and 12th. The board anticipates making a final selection on or about April 12, 2022, with a start date of July 1, 2022. 
 
As one aspect of that process, the Board will host and solicit feedback from community members via three community forums facilitated by our search consultant firm, Ray and Associates. These community forums will allow stakeholders to hear from the candidates on questions the search firm will pose, with a chance to share impressions via a survey during the session. Additionally, there will be school visits, multiple rounds of interviews, and other opportunities for the Board to meet and learn about each candidate.
 
The three community forums will be populated by a mixture of stakeholders, including staff, parents, students, community leaders, and other citizens.  The Board of Education is inviting participation through student-leadership organizations, the Northville Education Foundation, our various Parent-Teacher Associations, all schools, unions involved in the District, as well as elected community officers.  In addition, to ensure that all who may wish to be heard have a chance to join this process, the Board is seeking ad hoc applications from any resident, taxpayer, and/or student in the Northville School District.  If there are more applications than seats, selections will be made by a public drawing on April 5th, and those selected will be notified on April 6th.
 
The community forums will occur at Old Village School on Main Street in Northville on Monday, April 11, 2022, from 4:30 to 7:15 p.m.  The commitment will be to attend this time period in full and complete a survey about each candidate. You will serve as a valuable voice to the Board, as well as an ambassador for our community to the applicants.  
 
If you wish to apply, please complete the application by Friday, April 1st. Applicants received after this time will not be considered, and the Board reserves the right to reject any incomplete or otherwise improper application (e.g., limiting selection to Northville residents only).
At the beginning of February, Ray and Associates hosted 27 stakeholder input sessions for various focus groups. Based on the input sessions and community surveys, Ray and Associates put together a list of qualities NPS seeks in a superintendent and developed the profile for our new superintendent. 
 
Keeping in line with its commitment to community engagement, our School Board seeks to secure community input as a vital part of the Superintendent Search process. The search for a Superintendent is not only one of the most important responsibilities of the School Board; it is also a major investment to ensure continued excellence for our students, families, staff and the entire community of Northville Public Schools. We encourage all stakeholders to attend one of the forums listed below.
 
Open Community Forums
February 7:
February 8:
 
Family Forums
February 7:
 
Student Forums
February 7:
The Northville Public Schools Board of Education made the decision to utilize the services of a consultant to conduct a thorough national search for a new Superintendent of Schools.  The Board invited proposals from qualified consulting firms to provide Executive Search Consultant Services for the position of Superintendent of Schools. Deadline for receipt of proposals was Monday, January 3, 2022 at 5 p.m. EST. 

At its January 13, 2022 Board of Education meeting, the Board selected Ray and Associates, Inc. to support the search for the next Superintendent of Northville Public Schools, following Superintendent Gallagher's retirement in June, 2022.  In February, the Board of Education worked with Ray and Associates to conduct several stakeholder engagement input sessions, the timeline for the forums are listed below.
Superintendent Search Profile
NPS Superintendent Profile Update