Superintendent Search Services for School Boards
Board Centered. Leadership-Focused. Data-Driven.
Choosing your next superintendent is one of the most important responsibilities a school board will undertake. WASB Search Services provides a trusted, facilitated process that keeps the board in control, engages stakeholders, uses meaningful data and supports a successful leadership transition.
A Search Process Designed Around Your Board
WASB consultants work with your board to design a process that reflects your district’s needs, values, timeline, and community context. From the first planning meeting through the final selection, your board remains the decision-maker at every step.
Our process helps boards:
- Build a strong superintendent profile based on stakeholder input
- Use staff, student, parent and community feedback to shape the search
- Develop vacancy materials, interview questions and application prompts aligned to district priorities
- Review all completed applications received on the district’s behalf
- Conduct interviews using a structured, consistent and legally sound process
- Move from selection to contract and onboarding with confidence
More Than a Search — A Leadership Partnership
Because WASB is your membership organization, our support does not end when a candidate is hired. We help boards and new superintendents begin their work together through a Leadership Alignment Meeting — a facilitated partnership meeting designed to support a successful transition, clarify expectations, strengthen governance, build trust, and align leadership priorities for sustained district success.
Why Boards Choose WASB
- Experienced leaders in Wisconsin education
- Board-centered search facilitated by experienced consultants
- Stakeholder engagement and input
- Transparent process and clear timelines
- Support for small, large, rural, suburban and urban districts
- Long-term partnership before, during and after the search
- Access to WASB’s broader network of policy, legal, governance and board development resources to support your district’s ongoing leadership needs
Districts/CESAs served by the WASB Search Services since 2019-20
Abbotsford
Alma Center-Humbird-Merrillan
Appleton
Baldwin-Woodville
Bangor
Barneveld
Beloit
Blair-Taylor
Bloomer
Bruce
Campbellsport
CESA 11
CESA 4
CESA 4
CESA 7
Chequamegon
Clayton
Cochrane-Fountain City
Cudahy
Dodgeville
Durand-Arkansaw
Ellsworth
Fox Point-Bayside
Frederic
Geneva Joint 4
Genoa City Jt 2
Hartford Jt 1
Hartland-Lakeside J3
Holy Hill
Howards Grove
Iowa-Grant
Jefferson
Kenosha Unified
Kohler
Ladysmith
Lake Country
Lakeland UHS
Laona
Linn Jt 6
Little Chute
Lodi
Manitowoc
Melrose-Mindoro
Mondovi
Nekoosa
Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton
Onalaska
Pardeeville
Prairie Farm
Raymond #14
Salem
Sevastopol
Shell Lake
Shullsburg
South Milwaukee
Southern Door County
Southwestern Wisconsin
Spring Valley
St. Croix Falls
Thorp
Tomah Area
Unity
Viroqua
Washington-Caldwell
Waterford Graded
Webster
West Salem
Whitnall
Wilmot UHS
Wisconsin Heights
For Questions or to Request a Proposal
Contact Ben Niehaus, WASB Director of Member Services, at bniehaus@wasb.org or call 608-512-1706 to schedule a conversation about how WASB Search Services can tailor a board-centered process to support a successful search, attract high-quality leadership candidates and help your district select the right superintendent for long-term success.
National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers (NASS)
The WASB is a proud member of the National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers. We provide easy access to out-of-state superintendent vacancies through the NASS website.
Our Search Process
Planning
We begin by working with the board to determine the timeline, type of stakeholder involvement, communication plan, interview structure, board commitments and district needs.
Superintendent Profile
Input from the board, staff, students, families, and community helps identify the leadership qualities, skills and priorities most important for your district.
Advertising & Outreach
WASB supports the district with vacancy materials, postings, and outreach designed to attract highly qualified candidates. We advertise open positions on more than 30 statewide, regional and national websites. We also notify the WASB applicant pool. Individuals who are interested in the positions are encouraged to apply.
Application Review
Every completed application received on the district’s behalf is provided to the board and has been reviewed by the consultant. With guidance from the consultant, the board determines which candidates move forward.
Interviews
WASB facilitates a structured interview process using questions and procedures aligned to the superintendent profile and district priorities.
Selection & Leadership Alignment Meeting
Once the board identifies its preferred candidate, WASB facilitates a meeting with board and superintendent to support a smooth transition, clarify expectations, and strengthen the board-superintendent partnership. After the hire, WASB helps the board and new superintendent begin with clarity, trust, shared expectations, and aligned goals.
Read what others are saying about Search Services:
There is no doubt in my mind that we ran a search with integrity, fidelity and wisdom because we engaged the WASB.
The professional support we received from the WASB Search Services was unmatched! They helped us every step of the way and we never veered from our timeline.
WASB provided all the expertise in our search that we knew we could not accomplish on our own: deep knowledge of the hiring environment, a consultant familiar with our small district issues and the ability to put that together to find the candidate that would most help our district be successful.
This service was well planned, organized and thoughtfully executed. I highly recommend WASB Search Services.