The Sonoma Valley Unified School District is facing a pleasant problem in its search for a new superintendent: too many well-qualified applicants.
The Sonoma Index-Tribune reports consultants Ron Calloway and Scott Mahoney, assisting with the search, report they’ve identified eight highly qualified candidates for the role. This is more than the typical six, and if trustees interview all of them for 90 minutes each, the first-round interviews scheduled for January 9th will stretch to 12 hours.
The consultants indicated that at least “three or four very strong winners” are already in the running, and they are actively recruiting a couple more experienced candidates from the local area before the application deadline this Friday, December 5th.
The board plans to narrow the field to two or three finalists for second interviews on January 10th and aims to select a superintendent at its regular meeting on January 27th. The new superintendent is expected to begin work, in most cases, by July 1st, 2026.
Community members, meanwhile, voiced strong preferences for a superintendent who is collaborative, immersed in the community, and committed to serving the district for several years.