Should all go as planned, the Kenosha Unified District will have a new superintendent as early as March.

Superintendent Joe Mangi has been doing the job since 2007, first in an interim capacity. But he wants to retire, and his contract ends June 30.

School Board president Pam Stevens said Mangi has made it clear he wants to retire.

“Certainly I would stay until the end of the school year so there would be ... (time) to transition to the new person,” said Mangi, who has been with Unified for four decades.

“With the nationwide search, hopefully the candidate will have experience with a larger urban school district. I don’t know how much mentoring would be done, but for a district our size and with as many initiatives in place, it would make sense for a transition period.”

In June, the School Board agreed to use a search firm after a fruitless search of its own. In September, it hired Ray and Associates Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for $25,500.

The consultants’ contract guarantees that if the final pick doesn’t work out for any reason within the first two years, Ray & Associates will conduct another search for free.

Stevens said the process and timeline set for the search have worked well.

“It’s going really smooth,” she said. “We’re really happy with Ray & Associates. Everything they’ve said they would do in the timeline has been done, and they really followed through.”

The right qualities

Ray and Associates has already met with teachers, parents, representatives of the NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens, businesses, senior citizen groups, city and county government leaders and students, seeking qualities they value in a new superintendent.

They include a person who:

— Puts students first.

— Inspires trust.

— Is willing to listen but can be decisive.

— Can work cooperatively with the School Board.

— Can work with people.

— Presents a positive image of the district.

— Works visibly with all groups in the community, including ethnically and culturally diverse groups, with demonstrated ability to enhance student performance, especially as it relates to closing or narrowing achievement gaps.

— Has success with fiscal practices and management of district resources.

Seek good manager

The position pays about $195,000 plus benefits and the district is taking applications through Jan. 26. Additional information is at www.rayassoc.com.

While the job description doesn’t specifically mention issues such as the district’s pending lawsuit with investors over a multi-million dollar failed investment, Stevens said a new superintendent should know that no district is without its challenges.

“All districts ask for that super person. One of the main components is that we need a management person who can bring all the factors together to see that the ship runs smoothly,” she said.

“We definitely have our challenges. Anyone who is trying to move into a new job also has to know we have our challenges, and is looking for a challenge.”