After a weekend of interviews, School Board trustees and their
advisory committee have narrowed the field in their search for a
new superintendent to one finalist.
After a weekend of interviews, School Board trustees and their advisory committee have narrowed the field in their search for a new superintendent to one finalist.
From an original 21 applications received by the March 1 deadline, trustees narrowed the list down to six applicants, five men and one woman. All six are from California.
Trustees interviewed four candidates Friday and two Saturday, calling back three for a second interview, according to Rudi Gatti of RJ Gatti Associates, the search firm the district hired to assist in filling the position Superintendent Carolyn McKennan will vacate when her contract expires June 30.
“It was a good weekend,” Gatti said Monday. “It was a lot of work; we started Saturday morning at 7:30am and didn’t finish until 7pm. But things went very smoothly, everyone was prompt and worked together very cooperatively.”
During the initial interviews, an advisory committee sat in as the trustees questioned the candidates. After the original six interviews, Gatti said, the board spent three hours with the committee reviewing the candidates.
The advisory committee is made up of 16 members: Two from each of the three employee groups in the district, one representative from the city, one member chosen by each of the seven trustees and two student representatives.
The committee did not try to reach a consensus or rank the candidates as a group, but they individually rated them and offered their opinions.
“They each filled out a form on what they thought each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses were and whether they thought the candidate was a good fit for the district,” Gatti said.
Three of the original six candidates, all men, all from Northern California, were brought back for a second interview Saturday afternoon. The board then narrowed the field to one finalist, Gatti said, but the name of the candidate would not be released until the trustees have had time to visit his home district and talk with his staff, teachers and community.
Trustees had planned to formally approve their final choice at the April 4 regular board meeting; however, MHSD’s spring break next week and spring break for the candidate’s home district do not coincide, so there will likely be a special meeting called after the April 4 regular board meeting, Gatti said.
Gatti called the advisory committee “one of the best I have ever worked with” in his many years of experience. He said the board “feels good” about the work that was done over the weekend.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at mdubil@mor ganhilltimes.com or phoning (408) d779-4106 ext. 202.
