The Independence School District has selected the Missouri School Boards’ Association to lead the search for its next permanent superintendent. 

In selecting MSBA, the school district’s Board of Education chose an option that has deep connections in Missouri and was familiar to the district over another finalist that emphasized its national reach. 

The association, which has offices in Columbia and Jefferson City, does training, support and advocacy work for districts around the state, including Independence. 

The other finalist invited to present to the board Aug. 12 was Omaha-based McPherson & Jacobson, which said it had done superintendent searches in nearly every state. 

During discussion about which firm to choose, the board was split 4-3. 

Members Carrie Dixon, Denise Fears, Jill Esry and Blake Roberson favored MSBA. Some emphasized its past work with the district, availability and attention to detail. 

Members Anthony Mondaine, Brandi Pruente and Wendy Baird favored McPherson & Jacobson, praising its plan for community engagement and suggesting the district could benefit from a new perspective. 

After it became clear that MSBA was the majority choice, all members voted to formally approve it as the district’s superintendent search firm. 

Earlier this summer, some community members told The Beacon they hoped the district would allow for public input, emphasize a national search and strongly consider hiring an external candidate who might be more likely to change the district’s culture. 

This week, some teachers said they’ve appreciated Deputy Superintendent Cindy Grant, who took over as interim superintendent July 1, and they hinted she could be a strong candidate. Longtime superintendent Dale Herl announced his retirement, effective June 30, in May. 

“We have seen a dramatic and welcome improvement toward greater cooperation, collaboration and candor,” Lee Anderson, a middle school English teacher and treasurer of the teachers union, said during public comment Aug. 12. 

“We ask the board to keep an eye open for those who will work to build on the positive momentum that we have seen since July 1,” Anderson said. “While we agree that examining outside candidates is important, we ask that the board keep an open mind to the possibility that the best candidate may already be a member of the ISD family.”

How the search will work

According to a sample timeline MSBA shared with the board, the firm could begin recruiting soon via job postings, superintendent organizations, social media and phone calls and continue through November. 

“Some of your best candidates, I can look you in the eyes and tell you, aren’t looking for jobs,” said Trent Grundmeyer, one of the presenters working with the firm. “It’s going to take a phone call and convincing them to look at Independence.”

Jorjana Pohlman, president of the teachers union, said she personally hoped the board would select McPherson & Jacobson to help expand the district’s scope. But she was encouraged by some of the statistics MSBA shared, including data on out-of-state candidates and gender. 

During its presentation, MSBA emphasized that 36% of candidates hired among its 2024-25 applicants were female — above the national average. In addition, 41% of total applicants were from out of state and 8% of total applicants were minorities. 

During the recruiting time frame, the firm will also conduct community engagement such as surveys and community forums. 

Several board members stressed the importance of community engagement and ensuring that MSBA has a strong process to include various groups, such as those who don’t speak English. 

Initial interviews could happen in December. The firm would give the board a tiered list of candidates, categorized by how well they meet the district’s criteria. 

The search firm uses social media searches and confidential references — in addition to the ones candidates submit with their application — as part of the vetting process. 

Interviews for finalists could happen in early January. It’s not clear whether the public would know the names of the finalists before one is selected. 

Jeanette Cowherd, a superintendent liaison for MSBA and former Park Hill superintendent who plans to lead the search, said there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. 

“​​Many of your candidates are going to be sitting superintendents,” she said. “They don’t want to fracture the relationship they have.”

After a superintendent is selected, MSBA will help with the onboarding process, such as getting a potential out-of-state hire up to speed on Missouri school finance law and how state assessments work. 

In exchange for all of those services, the district would pay MSBA $22,000.  

The context of the Independence superintendent search

There’s a sense of curiosity and excitement about the superintendent search, Pohlman said. 

“While we have great candidates within the district, I think the feeling is maybe infusing the district with some new ideas, some new blood,” she said. “People are hoping for some changes.”

Independence’s search for its next superintendent comes after Herl resigned as superintendent at the end of June. He had led the district for 12 years and was known for his skill at managing the district’s finances and improving its buildings and facilities. 

During his tenure, the district launched college and career academies and became the largest district in Missouri with a four-day school week. 

“I think a lot of times we’ve kind of paved the way for other districts,” Pohlman said. “We’re not afraid to try new things.”

But as the search for the next superintendent begins, the district’s ability to continue the four-day school week is uncertain. 

A state law, targeting districts that are in charter counties or larger cities, requires voter approval for the four-day schedule. The district made the decision to switch to a four-day week beginning with the 2023-24 school year before the law was passed.

The fate of the new law awaits the outcome of a lawsuit the district filed against the state, contending that there’s no rational basis for the law to apply to certain school districts and not others. 

The four-day school week also helped inspire a state audit, which was not provoked by specific reports of wrongdoing. The results of that audit will be released Aug. 18. 

The next superintendent will also have to grapple with how to engage the community — which some saw as a weakness for Herl — and attend to an increasingly diverse student body. 

Pohlman said she already sees morale and trust trending in a positive direction. 

“Dr. Grant has been really great to work with, very collaborative. She’s a good listener. Respectful. Has had an open door to listen to some new ideas,” she said. “Things have been very positive. She’s been friendly. She’s already implemented some new things.”

That makes her a candidate worth considering for the permanent role, Pohlman said, noting that as a woman Grant would also be “breaking the glass ceiling.” 

“She’s homegrown,” Pohlman said. “She’s an Independence girl, you know, grew up here, and so she does have that background knowledge, which, that’s a plus.”