With Superintendent Eric Hartwig leaving the Portola Valley School District at the end of June, the school board on Jan. 16 approved a $19,500 contract with the consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea, & Associates to manage the search for his successor.

The firm will host community meetings and survey district families to get a sense of skills and characteristics they're looking for in a new superintendent. It will gather community input at the meetings and share that feedback with the school board at a March 6 meeting, a firm spokesperson said.

The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 8:15 a.m. in Room 10 at Ormondale School, 200 Shawnee Pass in Portola Valley. The second meeting is set for Thursday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. at Corte Madera School, 4575 Alpine Road in Portola Valley.

The firm posted a survey for community members on the district website. The application can be found here.

Consultants will review applications, conduct initial interviews and come up with a list of semifinalists. The board will interview semifinalists and decide who should come back for finalist interviews. The board will have access to all the applications, a firm spokesperson said.

The district's goal is to appoint a new superintendent in April, meaning there could be some overlap between Hartwig and his successor. Hartwig plans to help with the transition, according to the district.

Hartwig announced that he will be leaving his post at a Nov. 14 school board meeting. He joined the district in October 2015 to fill in on an interim basis when former superintendent Lisa Gonzales abruptly left, and his planned temporary stay turned into more than three years as superintendent.

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