NORWICH – The Norwich City School District Board of Education heard a presentation on the recommended process for choosing the district's next superintendent at its meeting Wednesday night, in the wake of Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan announcing his retirement effective in August 2019.

DCMO BOCES District Superintendent Perry Dewey presented to board members and meeting attendees Wednesday night on the district's options for choosing a new superintendent to supersede O'Sullivan next year––a decision Dewey said is of utmost importance for the board and district.

"It's great to be here tonight instead of being here in January because this gives us a lot of opportunity," said Dewey. "I think it's very wise for the board to start this process."

Dewey presented as a search consultant for the district to potentially hire to assist with choosing the next superintendent. He said the district has four options to consider in choosing its next candidate: appoint an internal candidate, do the search on its own, hire an executive search consultant, or utilize a district superintendent.

He recommended the search process involve a number of committees and stakeholder groups comprised of community and parent members, teachers from all levels, staff groups from all levels, and the board of education.

Dewey said, "At this point I throw out the disclaimer: it’s not the community’s choice, it’s the board’s choice, and you guys were the ones elected to make this choice. You’re going to take the input from the community, you’re going to take input from the stakeholders, but ultimately it’s your decision and so you need to make that decision based on all the information you have."

Dewey described two kinds of candidate searches: open and closed. A closed search, Dewey said, offers candidates privacy so that their current constituents aren't aware they're seeking a new position.