Fullerton board hires Leadership Associates to run superintendent search
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The Fullerton School District Board voted Nov. 18 to hire Leadership Associates to conduct the district’s superintendent search, selecting the California‑focused firm after hearing presentations from three finalist teams.
Trustee James Cho moved to select Leadership Associates and said the firm’s prior work in Fullerton and knowledge of local dynamics made it a good fit. "We know Fullerton," Cho said during deliberations, and trustees cited Leadership Associates’ community engagement approach and prior Fullerton‑area searches as decisive factors. The motion carried after a roll call by voice; the board president then announced the firm had been selected and was ready to begin work immediately.
Why it matters: The board is replacing a superintendent who served for more than a decade and the search will set priorities for the next district leader. Trustees emphasized a desire for a candidate who understands Fullerton’s programs, multilingual families and the district’s award‑winning specialty programs.
What Leadership Associates promised in its presentation: Peggy Lynch and David Verdugo told the board they would perform extensive stakeholder engagement, produce a leadership profile based on community input, provide multilingual surveying and deliver a tiered slate of vetted candidates. The board heard commitments to broad outreach and to making search materials, reference checks and applicant packets available in real time to trustees.
Board next steps: The board directed staff to finalize the contract and to set a schedule for initial governance workshops, community focus groups and an online survey that Leadership Associates will use to build the leadership profile. Trustees said they expected to begin the engagement phase right away, with public forums and surveys to follow and with the board retaining final authority to set interview slates and selection criteria.
Provenance: The search‑firm presentations began at the KOSCA/COSCA presentation (search firms introduced beginning SEG 1369), with Leadership Associates’ presentation at SEG 1990–2321 and ESS at SEG 2629–2870. The motion and vote to select Leadership Associates occurred during deliberations and the vote is recorded beginning at SEG 3769–3789.
What the board did not decide tonight: The board did not set a final candidate timeline, compensation range for finalists, or interview dates at this meeting; those items will be set in the governance workshop with the selected firm.
Trustee James Cho moved to select Leadership Associates and said the firm’s prior work in Fullerton and knowledge of local dynamics made it a good fit. "We know Fullerton," Cho said during deliberations, and trustees cited Leadership Associates’ community engagement approach and prior Fullerton‑area searches as decisive factors. The motion carried after a roll call by voice; the board president then announced the firm had been selected and was ready to begin work immediately.
Why it matters: The board is replacing a superintendent who served for more than a decade and the search will set priorities for the next district leader. Trustees emphasized a desire for a candidate who understands Fullerton’s programs, multilingual families and the district’s award‑winning specialty programs.
What Leadership Associates promised in its presentation: Peggy Lynch and David Verdugo told the board they would perform extensive stakeholder engagement, produce a leadership profile based on community input, provide multilingual surveying and deliver a tiered slate of vetted candidates. The board heard commitments to broad outreach and to making search materials, reference checks and applicant packets available in real time to trustees.
Board next steps: The board directed staff to finalize the contract and to set a schedule for initial governance workshops, community focus groups and an online survey that Leadership Associates will use to build the leadership profile. Trustees said they expected to begin the engagement phase right away, with public forums and surveys to follow and with the board retaining final authority to set interview slates and selection criteria.
Provenance: The search‑firm presentations began at the KOSCA/COSCA presentation (search firms introduced beginning SEG 1369), with Leadership Associates’ presentation at SEG 1990–2321 and ESS at SEG 2629–2870. The motion and vote to select Leadership Associates occurred during deliberations and the vote is recorded beginning at SEG 3769–3789.
What the board did not decide tonight: The board did not set a final candidate timeline, compensation range for finalists, or interview dates at this meeting; those items will be set in the governance workshop with the selected firm.
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