Rowland Unified has lost the feeling of being a family, of collegial cooperation, according to early results from Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. The executive search firm has been hired to help the school district find a new superintendent.

HYA & Associates talked to more than two dozen people on Monday to find out what they were looking for in a new executive. The firm is the nation’s largest executive search firm serving public school districts.

Residents and staff made appointments to talk to HYA representatives, who also held a town hall meeting Monday night. Parents may also make appointments from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, or attend another town hall meeting at Alvarado Intermediate School at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

“We heard from a lot that it used to be a like a family and many would like it to go back to that,” explained HYA consultant Pedro Garcia. A professor of clinical education at USC, Garcia is an expert in the area of educational leadership and accountability.

Read more in Rich Irwin’s story SUPERINTENDENT