![Time flies when you’re having fun Supt. Kevin Skelly has been regularly transferring marbles from one jar to another every Monday morning for nearly 10 years. Skelly started with 520 marbles in the larger jar, but only 10 remain today — the rest are in the small jar. “They [the marbles] are symbolic,” Skelly said. “[It] feels like a time to take off.” Photo by Michelle Tang](https://verdemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_0154.jpg)
The survey, directed at the Palo Alto community, tests the community’s preference of certain listed attributes, and also includes a short question-and-answer section for comments.
The board met a group of consultants from Leadership Associates for the first time on March 19, and held open forums on March 25 and March 26 to gain community input on superintendent attributes.
The board members have characteristics that they are looking for in a superintendent.
According to board member Camille Townsend, a superintendent should understand the importance of teachers, have a range of life experiences, and be able to connected to the community.
She also emphasizes that the candidate should have experience with teenagers.
“An understanding of high school students is essential,” Townsend said. “Being a teenager in a high achieving district is difficult. A superintendent should understand the pressure. Overall, a well-rounded superintendent with a sense of humor.”
Kevin Skelly, the current superintendent, will resign at the end of the school year. According to Skelly, he informed the board about his decision in February to give the board sufficient time to choose his successor.