Superintendent Search 2023

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 Both candidates have since withdrawn their application for candidacy.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).]

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.