The Fairfax County School Board in Virginia said it has hired human resources recruitment firm GR Recruiting to help it find its next superintendent.
In an online statement, the board said the firm was selected because of its experience conducting searches in large K-12 school districts.
In a message to the school community last summer, Fairfax Superintendent Scott Brabrand said he planned to leave the school system after the current school year. He said he plans to serve through June 30, 2022.
In a July interview with WTOP, Brabrand said it felt right to move on after “getting everybody back in-person and having an almost normal school year.”
On its website, GR Recruiting said its searches for superintendents feature personal candidate contacts and a virtual marketing campaign that it says has resulted in strong applicant pools.
“It is critically important that we have a robust search process with meaningful participation from parents, students, staff, and the community to help determine the characteristics we are looking for in our next superintendent and ultimately hire the best person to lead our school division into the future,” said Stella Pekarsky, the school board’s chair, in a statement.
The school board for Virginia’s largest school district also said parents, staff and students will be involved in the hiring process.
GR Recruiting, the board said, will begin working now to “ensure the best candidate is selected and in place by July 1, 2022.”
Brabrand has been the county’s superintendent since 2017.
The school system in Fairfax County features 198 schools and centers for more than 188,000 students.
