Why Sanger Unified won’t interview outside candidates to fill the superintendent’s job

Sanger Unified’s next superintendent already works for the district.

Trustees will hire from within the district using a search firm to facilitate the search.

Board President Ismael “Mike” Hernandez and Trustee Brandon Vang were the only board members who wanted an applicant pool that included outside candidates when the board debated the issue in February.

“It’s (more) competition; I wanted to see what’s out there,” Hernandez said. “ But I have extreme confidence in our personnel.”

Tapped as the district’s leader five years ago, Superintendent Adela Jones was an internal hire. After serving Sanger Unified students for 36 years, Jones is retiring on June 30.

Coming from within helped her take on the role of superintendent, she told the Ed Lab when she announced her retirement in January.

“I know the history of our district, and I’ve been there through the trials and tribulations; that helped me with the relationships that I had,” Jones said.

With “established relationships,” a superintendent chosen from the ranks of Sanger Unified can quickly transition because they know what the district is planning and doing, SUSD spokesperson Cary Catalano said.

“Relationships are key to everything we do,” he said. “And I think the board has recognized that that’s important — having someone who knows the culture and the people.”

In the nearby Clovis Unified, where Superintendent Eimear O’Brien is also retiring in June, the school board is conducting its own search and inviting all applicants.

Sanger’s board is spending $18,500 for Leadership Associates to conduct the search, including gathering community input.

The board partnered with Leadership Associates because of the firm’s “extensive experience in public education,” Hernandez said, and Juan Garza, a partner at the firm, has firsthand experience as he was the Kings Canyon Unified School superintendent for 15 years.

“Mr. Garza and the team at Leadership Associates have guided Sanger Unified School District through the transition of our previous superintendent, Matt Navo, to our current superintendent, Adela Jones, and everyone believed it to be a fair and transparent process,” Hernandez said in an emailed statement Friday. “Leadership Associates is considered the number one search firm in California and our district looks forward to their guidance as we search for our next superintendent.”

The board plans to pick Jones’ successor by the end of the school year.