Laguna Beach consulting firm David Long & Associates will serve the Claremont Unified School District as the search firm that will work with the CUSD board to find the district’s next superintendent.

The board made the decision following interviews with David Long & Associates and Hazard, Young, Attea (HYA) & Associates at a special board meeting on Monday night, bringing to a conclusion an important part of the superintendent search timeline that began with request for proposals back in December.

“The one thing that I did find interesting [about David Long & Associates’ presentation] was the aspect of being a good communicator,” said CUSD Board President Jeff Stark. “It really requires someone who can communicate at a lot of different levels and be able to communicate very clearly while running.”

CUSD received 5 proposals by the January 13 deadline and narrowed the final candidates to 3 at the board retreat on January 20. The 3 finalists were David Long & Associates; Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates; and The Costa Group. The board did not interview The Costa Group on Monday as the firm withdrew its bid earlier in the day.