Dexter Community Schools Plot a Course to Pick the Next Superintendent

The Dexter Community Schools Board of Education said its “committed to finding the right candidate for Dexter’s next chapter.”

With the announcement of DCS Superintendent Chris Timmis retiring in February of 2026 and the school board officially accepting this decision at its May 19 meeting, the school district is now looking ahead to filling this all important role.

After the meeting on the 19^th, the board gave an update on this process.

“With the announcement of Dr. Timmis’s retirement, the Dexter Community Schools’ Board of Education has begun our work to select the next leader of DCS,” the school board said. “This task is an awesome responsibility and the most important thing that any Board of Education is charged with undertaking.” 

In detailing how things will move, the Board of Education said it is bound by the Open Meetings Act, which sets forth a number of “rules” by which the board does its work. The school board said the most identified part of the Act is “that we are only allowed to deliberate with each other and make decisions in a meeting the public knows about and is able to attend.”

“This ensures that the work the Board does is transparent; it can also mean that the wheels of some decisions move very slowly,” the school board said. “All portions of the Superintendent search process are completed during open meetings and notification of these meeting dates will be available on our district calendar.”

The school board said its current members have taken advantage of the many trainings offered to them by the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) and have completed classes about and related to succession planning.

“We are aware of some best practices when it comes to how to organize our candidate pool, and we have been closely watching the candidate searches in districts across the state,” the school board said. “As parents and as Board members we have been impressed by the quality of our Dexter staff. We believe in the benefits of institutional knowledge and stability for student achievement. As such, the Board has decided that we will begin our search by welcoming applications from internal candidates.”

The school board noted that as of May 21, there was currently no job posting available and no candidates have applied. They said they are not yet ready to accept applications.

“As is a Dexter norm, the Board is committed to securing feedback from our stakeholders- our teachers, administrators, staff, parents, students, and community members. Further, we want to make sure that stakeholders feel free to share their most honest feedback,” the school board said. “To this end, the Board has voted to secure the services of a consultant from Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI). This is a company run by former Superintendents who have guided Dexter through multiple past Superintendent searches.”

This consultant will be running an online survey during the first week of June and will be hosting in-person meetings during that same time period. All responses to the surveys and from the feedback sessions will be presented to the board in an anonymous format so that participants can share their hopes and concerns freely.

Later in June, the school board said they will meet with the consultant to review the information from the surveys and in-person sessions. This information will be meant to be used to help the board to put together the profile of the Superintendent that the district needs. The board will also be working to finalize a timeline for applications, interviews, etc.

“This summer the Board of Education will be working diligently to select the next leader of our district,” the school board said. “Dr. Timmis has provided the Board with ample notice to complete the Superintendent search process in a deliberate way. We are committed to finding the right candidate for Dexter’s next chapter and we hope the community will participate in the upcoming feedback opportunities.”

More information will be forthcoming about these opportunities for feedback. The School Board said it is its sincere hope that interested parties take advantage of these opportunities to share their thoughts with them. Please also remember that you are always welcome to share your thoughts and feedback directly with the Board. The email address is boe@dexterschools.org.