Search for Minnihan’s replacement to be streamlined process

LACONIA — School Board member Bob Champlin, who chairs a committee organizing the search for a new district superintendent, said Friday he hopes the process to find a successor to Brendan Minnihan will not exceed a couple of months.

Minnihan opted not to seek a new employment contract after his three-year agreement ends on June 30. He is earning $144,000 annually.

Champlin heads a three-member board committee that will report back to the full School Board on Jan. 15 about the approach to finding Minnihan’s successor, including details on the formation of a larger search committee, including community members.

He doesn’t expect a private search firm to be hired.

“I believe what we will recommend is a streamlined process that will get us a look at some candidates and get us to make a decision that we want one of these people or that we need to go back out to find more candidates,” he said.

“Sometimes people spend an inordinate amount of time on the search process. I believe in a strong up-front process that leads to a definitive recommendation from a community committee.”

Champlin, 62, resigned as superintendent five years ago to deal with health issues. He served 31 years in the city school system, 13 as superintendent.

A superintendent must be highly motivated, he said.

“It’s absolutely a tough job, “ he said. “You need to have a burning desire to want a job like that, and even then it is challenging.”

He said the district should be able to attract a good candidate.

“There are so many things about our little city that can appeal to someone,” he said. “There is shared leadership in the community. We’ve got good energy. I always felt responsibility to the city as much as to the schools.”

Some districts sprawl over huge distances, but Laconia schools are less than 2 miles apart.

“Our little city concept can really appeal to someone who wants to be a keeper of teachers and learning,” Champlin said.

He said that it has not been a requirement for the superintendent to reside in the community but that it can be advantageous to do so.

“You gain a perspective by being there, by walking into Hannaford or Walgreens and someone says, ‘Hey Bob, can I talk to you?,’ Champlin said.

“Knowing the community is a benefit. That’s only my opinion.”

Champlin himself is not interested in the job, but former School Board member Mike Persson said the district would be well served by someone like Champlin.

“Hopefully the board will be able to find someone with a strong vision for the district moving forward and who has people skills and investment for this city so the district can achieve what it can, frankly someone in the model of Bob Champlin.

“He was such a dynamic and visionary presence. If we can find someone who is 75 percent of what he was, it would be great.”