The Southwest Licking school board on Feb. 16 hired the Ohio School Boards Association to conduct its search for a new superintendent.

However, the board did not make a decision on which organization will help create a strategic plan following the search. That decision likely will fall to the new superintendent, according to board members.

Superintendent Forest Yocum will retire July 31, the final day of his contract.

The school board on Feb. 8 had interviewed representatives from the OSBA, the Licking County Educational Service Center and Finding Leaders, a Valley View-based search firm.

Board president Don Huber, vice president Cindy Zaino and Dave Engel voted to hire the OSBA. Debra Moore voted for Finding Leaders, and Roger Zeune was absent.

The OSBA offered the board a package deal of $11,000, in which it would help the district create a strategic plan following the search. The search alone will cost the district $6,900, plus expenses, which is what the majority of the board approved.

Zaino said she liked the idea of the package deal.

“You pay the superintendent a lot of money and it’s an extremely important job,” she said. “If you have to pay $11,000, then so be it.”

She said she has wanted the district to create a strategic plan for a long time.

Moore said she preferred Finding Leaders’ experience and wondered if the district could hire Finding Leaders for the search, then hire the OSBA for the strategic plan. Engel said doing so could cost the district $17,000.

Huber deliberated the advantages of all three.

“This is a tough one,” he said.

Huber said the Licking County ESC knows the district well and the district is already paying it for its services, so the ESC would conduct the search at no extra charge. He said the OSBA has a high level of professionalism and deep networking contacts, and Finding Leaders has “high-powered” services and board members are familiar with some of its staff members.

Licking County ESC Superintendent Nelson McCray said he would be willing to help the district’s search however he could, regardless of the board’s decision.

So, Huber said, the board was left to decide between two very qualified candidates, but Finding Leaders charged $8,750 plus expenses, which is more than the OSBA.

“There’s no question that Finding Leaders is the most expensive option,” he said, adding that the OSBA has served a wide variety of school districts.

Zaino said she really couldn’t justify a $6,000 difference in price when the strategic plan is included in the mix.

The board members agreed that many options are available for assistance with the strategic plan, and the next superintendent may have a preference or ideas for best options.

Huber said he’d hate to have to go through the process of finding a strategic plan consultant all over again after a new superintendent is hired.

“Let’s remove this from the agenda until the search is over,” he said. “It will be put into the interview process.”