Robbinsdale School Board Suspends Superintendent Search
After interviewing candidates this weekend, the Robbinsdale School Board has suspended its search for a new superintendent.
On Saturday, April 6, the board conducted interviews with six candidates. Board members had planned to narrow the field for a second round of interviews.
Following the interviews the board used a rubric developed by the Minnesota School Boards Association to score the candidates.
The board then spent about three hours deliberating, but did not have clear front-runners, according to Robbinsdale School Board Chair ReNae Bowman.
“I believe that, for this go-around, the candidates — although good, strong candidates in their own right, nice people, impressive — the fit just wasn’t there,” Bowman told CCX News. “It just really comes down to that … we need to find a candidate that we can all agree upon. This does not mean that anyone failed, it just means that we’ll continue the search.”
In a 5-2 vote, the board decided to suspend the superintendent search.
The board also voted 5-2 to release the results of the rubric scoring process for the public. However, candidate names will be redacted from this data.
“Imagine being that new superintendent coming in knowing that half of your bosses don’t want you there,” Bowman said. “That is not a level playing field for any candidate. That is a recipe for failure.”
An overhead view of the Robbinsdale School Board during a recent work session. The board has suspended its search for a new superintendent.
Former Superintendent David Engstrom and the district parted ways in September 2023.
Marti Voight, who was previously an assistant superintendent in the district, has been serving as interim superintendent since Engstrom left. She previously told the school board she expected to retire in 2024.
Bowman said the board has a 12-month contract with the Minnesota School Boards Association for the search process.
“We can alter things, regroup, go back, look over, ask for more people — we’ve got all of that within the parameters of the contract that we can ask for,” Bowman said. “The district does not lose anything monetarily. And from my perspective, what it allows us to do is go back and have more conversation and to get close to what it is we’re really looking for … we just want to make sure that when we hire, we can someone who will be here rock-solid for three years.”
The board will determine its next steps at an upcoming work session. Video footage of Robbinsdale School Board meetings is available here.
Robbinsdale Area Schools serves parts or all of cities including Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, New Hope, Plymouth and Robbinsdsale.
