Bloomfield Hills Schools
Booth Center
Superintendent Search
Timeline
May 23, 2024
At the May 23, 2024 Board of Education meeting, the Board unanimously approved the resolution to adopt the Superintendent contract for Mr. Rick West, the new Superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools.
Finalist
After an extensive search process that involved input from stakeholders across our community, the Board of Education unanimously selected Mr. Rick West to be the finalist for the position of superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools, subject to successful contract negotiations. Pending a successful negotiation, the superintendent employment contract will be brought to the Board of Education Regular Meeting on May 23, 2024. Following that meeting, the Board of Education will share additional information with the community.
May 9, 2024 Board of Education Meeting
Finalist Candidates
Thank you to our students, staff, and community members who participated in the candidate engagement opportunities and watched the second round interviews for the position of superintendent with the Board of Education over the past two days.
The Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting to select the next BHS Superintendent on Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 7 p.m. at Booth Center, 7273 Wing Lake Road. All meetings/interviews are open to the public and will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing.
Please consider reviewing the below interview materials to learn more about each candidate.
Billy Shellenbarger
Rick West
The Board of Education welcomes the perspectives of the entire BHS community. Please provide feedback about the candidates to the Board for its consideration. The feedback form will remain open until May 9 at 4 p.m.
This feedback form will close on May 9 at 4 p.m.
April 19, 2024
At a Special Meeting on Friday, April 19, 2024, the Board of Education discussed and announced that Mr. Billy Shellenbarger and Mr. Rick West have been named finalists for the position of Superintendent. The final interviews will be held at 7 p.m. at the Doyle Center for Professional Development as follows:
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Mr. Billy Shellenbarger
Itinerary
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Mr. Rick West
Itinerary
Both second round interviews will include the following stakeholder engagement opportunities:
- Meet & Greet: Candidate and Student Engagement at 12:30 p.m. at Bloomfield Hills High School, 4200 Andover Road
- Meet & Greet: Candidate and Staff Engagement at 3:30 p.m. at Bloomfield Hills High School, 4200 Andover Road
- Meet & Greet: Candidate and Community Engagement at 5:00 p.m. at Bloomfield Hills High School, 4200 Andover Road.
- Finalist Presentation and Interview (Special Meeting of the Board of Education) at 7:00 p.m. at Booth Center, 7273 Wing Lake Road (This meeting will also be live streamed)
The Board of Education welcomes the perspectives of the entire BHS community. If after participating in a meet & greet and/or watching the second round interviews, please provide feedback to the Board for its consideration. The feedback form will be open from May 1 at 8:30 a.m. to May 9 at 4 p.m. at www.bloomfield.org/feedback
First Round Interviews April 16-17, 2024
April 15, 2024
The interview schedule has been consolidated as one candidate has withdrawn his application.
The Board of Education welcomes the perspectives of the community. Those present at the interviews and watching remotely may provide feedback to the Board for its consideration. The feedback form will open at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 and will close at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 19.
April 4, 2024
On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the Board of Education held a Special Meeting for the purposes of reviewing the confidential candidate applications for the position of Superintendent. The Board of Education selected five candidates to interview:
- Stephen Bigelow, Ph.D., Superintendent, Bay City Public Schools
- Eddie Kindle, Ed.S., Associate Superintendent, Communications and Development, Genesee Intermediate School District
- Catherine Kochanski, Assistant Superintendent, Learning Services, Walled Lake Consolidated School District
- Billy Shellenbarger, Superintendent, Clawson Public Schools
- Rick West, Deputy Superintendent, Troy School District
The first interviews on April 16 and 17 will begin at 6 p.m. The second interview will begin approximately 10 minutes after the completion of the first interview. The interview on April 18 will begin at 7pm. 90 minutes will be allotted for each interview.
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Booth Center to determine which candidates will be invited to participate in second round interviews.
All meetings/interviews are open to the public and will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing. Those present at the interviews and watching via livestream/recordings will be provided an opportunity to share feedback to the Board for their consideration. Feedback forms will be published on the meeting agendas, as well as on the Superintendent Search webpage.
February 15, 2024
At the February 15, 2024 Board of Education Special Meeting, the Board met with Tim Stein from the Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI). MLI is the firm guiding the Board in the process of finding the next Bloomfield Hills Schools superintendent.
Using the candidate profile developed in the Spring of 2023, which incorporated significant student, staff, and community feedback, the superintendent position has been re-posted.
Over the next three months, the Board will meet several times with the goal of hiring our next superintendent.
January 11, 2024
Board of Education President, Meagan Hill, provided a superintendent search update at the January 11, 2024 Board of Education Meeting.
September 28, 2023
At the September 28, 2023 Board of Education Regular Meeting, the Board shared that they are continuing their search for a district superintendent.
While the search for the next superintendent is ongoing, the Interim Superintendent Search Committee provided an update regarding the interim position.
The agreement for current Interim Superintendent, Dr. Randy Liepa, will extend from the original end date of October 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
The Board appointed Keith McDonald as Interim Superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools effective January 1, 2024. He will remain Interim Superintendent until such time that a new superintendent is hired and begins employment.
Introducing Keith McDonald
Keith McDonald is currently serving as the Bloomfield Hills Schools Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources where he oversees the following: human resources, operations and maintenance, enrollment services, communications, safety and security, and Bowers School Farm and Johnson Nature Center.
Keith McDonald has degrees from Wayne State University (Educational Specialist in General Administration and Supervision), Marygrove College (Masters in the Art of Teaching), and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Bachelor of Science with majors in General Science and Physical Education).
Prior to joining BHS, he served in Livonia Public Schools for 20 years as a science and physical education teacher, an assistant principal, a principal, and as director of human resources. He has also been an adjunct professor at Madonna University, teaching courses on educational leadership.
The Board will continue to update the community as they work with the Michigan Leadership Institute to search for a new superintendent that will best serve the district.
August 10, 2023
At the July 20, 2023 Board of Education Special Meeting, the Board selected two candidates to advance and deferred second round interviews to a date to be determined in the fall. The Board made this decision in an effort to provide more engagement opportunities for students, staff, and the community. Both candidates have since withdrawn their application for candidacy.
During the most recent Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education Study Session on Thursday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m., the Board discussed its continued search for a district superintendent.
The Board will continue to update the community as they work with Michigan Leadership Institute Regional President, John Silveri, to search for a new superintendent that will best serve the district.
[Public body deliberations, decisions and interviews will continue to be conducted at open meetings in the spirit of transparency and in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act (Public Act 267 of 1976).]
August 10 Study Session
Stakeholder Input
The Board of Education for Bloomfield Hills Schools is commencing the search for our next Superintendent. Michigan Leadership Institute is facilitating the search to find the best possible candidate for the position. The Board is asking for community input to assist in the development of a profile of our ideal candidate. You can participate by completing the online survey (closed 5/30/23) or attending an in person meeting. The in person meetings for the community are scheduled as:
- May 24, 2023 at 6 p.m. at Bloomfield Hills High School Media Center - 4200 Andover Road
- May 31, 2023 at 9:45 a.m. at Booth Center - 7273 Wing Lake Road
- May 31, 2023 at 6 p.m. at Bloomfield Township Public Library Meeting Room 2 - 1099 Lone Pine Road
Search Firm Selection
Michigan Leadership Institute
MASB
HYA
Superintendent Search Update
On July 31, Patrick Watson will retire from his position as superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools.
At the April 27, 2023 Board of Education meeting, the Board heard presentations from Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) and Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB). At the May 2, 2023 Board of Education Special Meeting, the Board heard a presentation from Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA). The Board hired the national search firm, Michigan Leadership Institute, to guide the Board in the process of finding our next superintendent. They were selected from a group of very capable firms for their comprehensive approach to engaging the community in the search process, their access to a diverse candidate pool, and their analytic tools utilized to find a good match for our district, among many other reasons.
Over the coming weeks, MLI will work directly with the Board to create a timeline for the search process, conduct a survey process for student, staff, and community feedback, and develop some informational materials to inform potential candidates about our unique and high achieving district.
During the next several months, our Board will meet several times, the goal being to hire a superintendent in a timely manner without sacrificing the thorough search needed to make the right choice for our students. Please attend any of our meetings and share your thoughts regarding the superintendent search through the survey when it is launched or by emailing board@bloomfield.org.
Please check this page for updates and upcoming meeting dates.
About Bloomfield Hills Schools
Bloomfield Hills Schools is home to a diverse range of families; across the district, more than 60 languages are spoken in homes. This diversity of language and backgrounds creates a global community in which students can learn from one another about culture, and faculty can teach about cultural differences with ease. All 7th grade classes across the three middle schools attend a two-day World Religions field trip, during which four local religious institutions are visited. And at the high school level, a popular course is IB World Religions, in which students work directly with local religious leaders and institutions. These educational, global opportunities could not exist without the generous support of our district families and Education Foundation.
Bloomfield Hills Schools has a PTOC (Parent Teacher Organization Council) that creates a space for all eight school buildings' PTOs to come together once a month and share best practices. The PTOC also helps to coordinate district-wide events, including the service-focused Make A Difference Day each fall and a Multicultural Celebration each spring. The PTOC and the events it plans help to create a strong sense of community within Bloomfield Hills Schools and the families they serve.
Bloomfield Hills Schools is the proud owner of two gems within the Bloomfield community: The Johnson Nature Center, and the Bowers School Farm. Hosting school field trips throughout the year, these facilities provide hands-on, outdoor learning experiences for students. At the high school level, students can enroll in classes such as Environmental Field Research, the Science of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Veterinary Science, hosted at our nature center and farm. These facilities and the resources they offer create unique and hands-on learning opportunities that set our district apart, and showcase how our community values experiential, practical, and outdoor learning.
Superintendent Position Announcement
Interested candidates should complete and submit the Michigan Leadership Institute online application.