HASTINGS, NEB. — The Hastings school board is using a national search firm to help select the district’s next superintendent.

Hastings Public Schools announced Monday that McPherson & Jacobson L.L.C. will assist in selecting candidates for the board to interview. The district is replacing Jeff Schneider, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2019.

Consultants hired by the district will host a community input forum on January 14th. For those unable to attend the “Community Input Forum,” there will be a “K12 Insights Survey” link accessible on the school website (www.hastingspublicschools.org) from January 14th – 23rd. Here are other important dates:

• Application Deadline of January 17th with finalists selected on January 30th

• Interviews to be conducted on February 3rd and 4th

• New hire to be made official by February 6th

• New hire to begin work on/about July 1st

At its Thursday meeting, the board created a list of six skills and characteristics its looking for in the next superintendent.

The Superintendent of Hastings Public Schools shall be:

• An educational leader committed to a collaborative mindset who uses best practices and champions effective teaching and learning

• A strategic and visionary problem-solver who embraces challenging goals and high expectations

• A team builder who values developing positive relationships with students, staff and community through transparent communication

• A compassionate leader who values the well-being of students and staff

• A skilled manager with fiscal acuity who allocates resources and staffing in the best interest of the entire school district to include recruitment and retention of high-quality staff

• A community leader who prioritizes building positive relationships with local stakeholders of diverse backgrounds