Blind, deaf student experience not required for schools' top jobs

A draft of a job description for the next superintendent of Iowa's schools for the deaf and blind does not include a requirement that candidates have experience with blind and deaf education, members of a search committee said Wednesday at a meeting to select top candidates.

"When I looked at this, I thought this didn't look like what I thought it was going to look like," said Gwen Woodward, regional director of Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

The 16-person search committee, which includes educators, administrators and parents, met in Johnston with members of the Iowa Board of Regents, which oversees the Iowa School for the Deaf and the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School.

Several members of the committee said they had expected the job's criteria to include experience working with students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and with students who read braille.

Regent Nicole Carroll said those specific criteria were going to be part of interview questions, but that the job description, which is still in draft form and was not available to the media Wednesday, could still be amended.

A short job description circulated by search firm Ray and Associates called for "an individual with visionary leadership and strong administrative skills," and said the successful candidate would be selected "based upon proven experience, qualifications and meeting Board criteria." The salary will range from $175,000 to $200,000, the description said.

The committee is currently meeting in closed session to select top candidates for interviews, out of 25 contenders narrowed down by the search firm.

Gary Ray, owner of Ray and Associates, said initial recruitment put his firm in touch with 206 candidates in 39 states. The list was narrowed down based on qualifications and certifications.

Other "preferred qualifications" would help in selecting a "wish list," Ray said.

"It's very difficult to find someone that's got everything," he said.

The committee is evaluating candidates using a scoring system. The closed session is expected to last for much of the day.

Interviews could be held as early as next week.

Current superintendent Patrick Clancy plans to retire by June 30. Clancy has served as the superintendent of the school for the blind in Vinton since 2008. He was chosen to lead the school for the deaf in Council Bluffs in 2012, amid objections from the deaf community that he lacked sign language proficiency.