The Valley Central School District has begun a search for the perfect candidate to replace John Xanthis who departed in June. As part of the screening process, Orange-Ulster BOCES will solicit input from community members to share what qualities they’d like the next superintendent to possess.

On August 17, BOCES representatives will hold separate meetings with students, faculty and staff and finally at-large community members to gain their perspective. The district is also conducting an on-line survey that can be accessed via the district website.

People who attend one of the August 17 sessions will have their own vision of an ideal candidate. We’d like to share some of ours:

• Actual classroom experience. An educator’s resume should include genuine teaching experience, and an understanding of what goes on inside a classroom. A teacher must know how to interact with students, fellow teachers and parents, skills that will also serve a superintendent.

• Proven results academically. If the new superintendent is from another district, the search committee to look at the results of the district. What is the graduation rate, and what percentage of graduates excelled academically after high school?

• A track record as an innovator. What new ideas were implemented at the candidate’s prior position and what were the results?

• Proven ability to work well with others. This may seem obvious, but for some reason, it seems appropriate to include in this list.

• Crisis management skills. How would the superintendent respond to an actual emergency like a bomb threat, an active shooter or perhaps a weather-related emergency?

• The ability to manage a budget. This may also seem obvious, but it includes the understanding that many taxpayers may have limited or fixed incomes.

There’s also at least one quality that the school board must possess. It’s the ability to understand the consequences of a bad decision. There are neighboring school districts that are still paying for past mistakes.