Lansing schools could delay superintendent search due to COVID-19 uncertainties

LANSING — The search for the next Lansing School District superintendent could be put on hold thanks to COVID-19.

The district's Board of Education picked three finalists on April 23 — Johnny Edwards, director of secondary education at Kalamazoo Public Schools; Venessa Keesler, deputy superintendent for the Michigan Department of Education; and Benjamin Shuldiner, distinguished lecturer for the City University Of New York’s Hunter College. They ended the meeting without setting a date for second interviews. 

Board members will consider putting off those interviews, or delaying the search altogether until COVID-19 and the resulting unknowns begin to clear up, at a meeting on Thursday, said board President Gabrielle Lawrence. 

"We will be discussing the status of holding second interviews and whether we think it's an appropriate time to change course considering budget uncertainties and the new landscape we'll be dealing with in the fall of 2020," she said. 

Rushing to offer a contract to a candidate without being completely comfortable with him or her would be a mistake, Lawrence said, and it could be a better option to keep interim Superintendent Sam Sinicropi on while the district figures out how to continue operations amid the pandemic and what promise to be large state funding cuts. 

"Luckily, we have Mr. Sinicropi, who has been a long-time employee of the district and knows every facet of the operations, finances, enrollment and instruction," Lawrence said.

Other board members directed comments to Lawrence. 

Michigan Association of School Boards, which conducted the superintendent search, will attend the virtual meeting Thursday. Lawrence said they haven't provided any guidance or suggested actions for proceeding. 

"They know as well as we know that these times are really uncertain," Lawrence said. "We’re not certain what will happen this week, or this fall or next fall.

"My goal for Thursday night is just to essentially decide who will be the superintendent ideally for the next school year. We want to give the public as well as our teachers and families some direction and reassurance."

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.