This article was updated on Nov. 6 at 2:46 p.m. to reflect that the cost associated with the work of the search firm work is only proposed.
The Rye Board of Education has chosen the same search firm to find Schools Superintendent Eric Byrne’s successor as they did to originally find Byrne himself.
From five other finalists, the board chose Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), which is based in Illinois. Byrne, who was hired in 2017 announced he will retire at the end of this school year.
While HYA is highly regarded, the firm also has made some controversial selections that caused problems for school districts it was working for.
HYA’s proposal estimates that the work involved with the search would cost$27,800, although a final price has yet to be determined.
“This will be the first step in our process in which we’ll work with the consultants of HYA. We look forward to having that high level of success again,” said Board of Education President Jane Anderson, referring to Byrne’s hiring.
The firm was unanimously approved by the board on Tuesday night.
In its response to the board’s recent request for proposal (RFP), HYA’s proposed timeline suggests selecting a final candidate by March 2025, with plans to publicly announce and appoint the new Rye schools superintendent by April or May 2025.
HYA has been in operation for more than 35 years, serving more than 1,600 clients in nearly every state, according to its website. The company services school districts, higher education institutions, and individual candidates.
HYA promises a community-driven superintendent search for Rye, involving surveys, focus groups, and forums to craft a “Leadership Profile” tailored to the district’s needs. It has a nationwide pool of candidates and actively recruits most of them. The firm prioritizes a clear and open process, provides detailed insights, and offers support to help the new superintendent succeed in their role, according to its proposal.
“HYA has more experience in identifying quality educational executives than any other firm in the industry,” the firm said in its proposal. “The fact that it has assisted boards with successful selections in more than 1,600 searches with student enrollment ranging from less than 500 students to upwards of 640,000 is no accident.”
But despite a reputation as one of the most well-regarded consulting firms, HYA has also faced scrutiny. Several of its picks over the last decade have raised red flags.
In 2015, a Minneapolis school board suspended contract negotiations with a new superintendent recommended by HYA due to an investigation at his previous Massachusetts school alleging staff abuse of special education students, Education Week reported.
HYA recommended a candidate in 2016 for a position in Des Plaines, Ill., who had resigned from his previous school district following accusations of sexual harassment, according to The Daily Herald.
The firm faced controversy again over its 2022 superintendent pick for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, in California, as concerns about his alleged misrepresentation of teaching and administrative credentials surfaced at the time of his appointment, according to Los Gatan, a publication in San Jose, Calif. While those allegations eventually subsided, the Board of Trustees proposed raising the superintendent’s salary this September, reigniting public backlash. A few weeks later, the superintendent announced he would resign at the end of the school year, San José Spotlight reported.
Other school boards that have used HYA’s services have also criticized the firm for a lack of professionalism in its search process, describing it as wasteful, according to VeroNews.com and The Washington Free Beacon.
Anderson defended the decision to hire HYA on Wednesday, telling The Record that the controversies did not occur in the area or involve the consultants that will be assigned to the Rye search. She added that a former schools superintendent and former school board president will be part of HYA’s consulting team.
“This process is an ultimate decision of the board. This is not something that is done by the consulting firm,” Anderson said. “The hiring of the superintendent is the sole responsibility of the Board of Education, and one that we are taking extremely, extremely seriously and with great pride.”
The Rye Board of Education issued its RFP for a search firm on Oct. 22.
On Oct. 22, the Rye board issued its RFP for a search firm, marking the first step in the search to replace Byrne, who announced in October his retirement at the end of the school year.
The board received responses from District Wise Search Consultants, JG Consulting, McPherson Jacobson LLC, and School Leadership LLC, in addition to HYA’s proposal.
HYA did not respond to The Record’s request for comment.