Community input is being sought as part of a Superintendent Search Survey released this week and announced by the Board of Education.

According to an announcement from the Board of Education’s Superintendent Search Committee, “The Newtown Board of Education has engaged the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to assist them in the search process for a new Superintendent of Schools.”

“An integral part of the process,” the announcement continues, “involves parent and community participation in an online survey. The survey is designed to obtain participant input about the attributes, experience, and knowledge that the new superintendent should possess. The survey also provides an opportunity for participants to identify immediate tasks which the new superintendent should address.”

The survey is available online at surveymonkey.com/r/3MVZ9N3. The survey will be open until March 31.

All comments from the online survey are considered anonymous, according to the announcement, and NESDEC will organize responses by group (administrator, staff, parents, community members, students, etc). The responses will be provided to the Board of Education in a community needs assessment report, which will be used to inform the Successful Candidate Profile.

“The Newtown Board of Education appreciates the public’s involvement in the Superintendent search process and looks forward to hearing community members’ views,” the announcement reads.

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue announced her retirement in a letter to the community in December. The letter was addressed to parents, staff, and community members, and it explained that the superintendent shared the news with the school board in October that she will be retiring at the end of this school year, as previously reported by The Newtown Bee.

Board of Education members Dan Cruson and Janet Kuzma, who are co-chairing the Superintendent Search Committee, are both hopeful for large community input for the online survey and for upcoming focus group events.

According to Cruson, the Superintendent Search Committee interviewed four groups to possibly conduct the superintendent search and ultimately chose NESDEC.

“We want to have the largest reach possible,” Cruson said, saying he is hopeful that between the upcoming focus group meetings and the online survey that a large percentage of the local population will be represented in the results that will be used to help determine the characteristics of the next superintendent.

More information about the focus groups is expected to be announced within a week. Both in-person and virtual meetings are expected to be scheduled.

“We’re just hoping to get a lot of participation from the community and that we get a really wide reach,” Kuzma said.

Kuzma explained the online survey asks participants to identify what part of the community they represent, like if they are a student or parent. There are a few questions with write-in responses and there are multiple choice questions.

Cruson pointed out that everyone in “town has a stake in who our next superintendent is.”

According to Cruson, the results will be shared by NESDEC with the Superintendent Search Committee and the school board in April.

Education Editor Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.