Belmont-Redwood Shores board hires Human Capital Enterprises to run superintendent search, 4'2

The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday selected Human Capital Enterprises to conduct the district's superintendent search, voting 4'1 after hearing presentations from four finalist firms.

The unanimous portion of the meeting opened with four firms outlining how they would recruit and vet candidates for the vacancy created by the superintendent's upcoming departure. Human Capital Enterprises (HCE) told trustees it would pair HR expertise with former superintendent leadership to run the search, provide a community-facing dashboard and limit the workload placed on district staff. HCE's lead presenter, Hank Harris, described the firm's record: "We have a 96% longevity rate," he said, adding that the firm has completed more than 100 searches in recent years and offers post-hire mentoring and transition support.

Board members asked each firm the same questions: how quickly a search could be completed this summer, how the firms would reach non-English-speaking residents, how candidates under contract would be handled and what protections the district would have if a new hire left early. Leadership Associates, one presenting firm, disclosed its price and retention statistics during its pitch: "85% of our superintendents have been in their jobs at least five years," said Donald Evans, and the firm listed a fee of $245,000 plus $2,000 for travel.

McPherson & Jacobson presenters emphasized alignment to the board's leadership profile and the need for a candidate who can manage the district's near-term financial challenges. "You have a $5 million built-in deficit that you currently have," one consultant said, urging trustees to prioritize candidates with fiscal experience and the capacity to manage special-education gaps and enrollment decline.

Trustees said they weighed several factors: the consultant team's availability and local connections, the firm's ability to recruit high-quality candidates quickly in the summer hiring season, the projected level of staff work the search would require and the breadth of community outreach (including language-supported surveys and in-person events). Several trustees reported calling references after the presentations and said those references generally gave positive reports about candidate quality and follow-through.

When the board took a vote after deliberation and motions, the tally was four in favor and one opposed. The board's motion named Human Capital Enterprises as the district's search partner; the motion passed and the board adjourned at 9:09 p.m.

What happens next: district staff will finalize the contract terms with HCE, set the detailed calendar and confirm the format for community input. Trustees discussed options ranging from a faster, more compressed schedule to a longer public-engagement period; several said they want a schedule that balances timely hiring with meaningful stakeholder involvement.

The selection ends the evening's formal presentations but begins the district's public-facing phase of the search, when trustees and the consultant will work together to produce a community profile, recruit and vet candidates and organize finalist interviews and stakeholder feedback.