By Isiah REYES

The Glendale Unified School District Board of Education selected McPherson & Jacobson as the executive firm that will help in the search for its next superintendent. The other two firms in the discussion were The Cosca Group and Leadership Associates.

Each firm gave a presentation during a meeting held June 24 and answered questions from the board. After the presentations, board member Greg Krikorian proposed a discussion among all board members to talk about which firm they wanted to select, with an emphasis on coming up with a consensus among all members rather than casting individual votes. Krikorian said the board should act as a whole rather than as individuals.

McPherson & Jacobson was chosen for its experience and dedication to the district. The board made it clear they looked to hire someone who is living locally rather than hiring someone from out of the state.

On June 16, McPherson and Jacobson had already been selected to conduct the superintendent search for the Glendale Unified School District. However, the day after the vote occurred, the district was notified that lead consultant Thomas Jacobson was to be replaced by William Huyett, who was not originally listed to conduct the search nor was his resumé provided to the board. A requirement in the request for proposal was to list the consultants who would be doing the search for the district and to provide their resumés. Ultimately, McPherson & Jacobson was again chosen despite this small hiccup.

Dr. Richard M. Sheehan, former superintendent of schools, submitted his letter of resignation to the board of education in May. His last day with the Glendale Unified School District was June 30.

  Isiah REYES