The Board of Directors met on July 22 to review applications for the position of superintendent. After nearly three hours of discussing an applicant pool of multiple qualified candidates, the Board took action, in open session, on the acceptance of four semifinalists for the first round of interviews to take place on Saturday, August 10. Information regarding the semifinalist candidates can be linked from their names below:
- Christopher Granger
- Rodrick Merrell
- Christopher Nesmith
- John Steach - (update 7/26/2019) Dr. Steach has accepted a position with a private company and has therefore withdrawn his application.
Opportunities for public participation in the interview process are described below. Staff, students, parents, and community members are encouraged to provide feedback which the Board will consider in the decision-making process. An RSVP is not required to participate. However, for planning purposes, participants are asked to notify the District Office if they plan to attend any or all of the interview sessions on August 10 or August 12.
- Interviews with the School Board on Saturday, August 10
The Board will conduct one-hour interviews with each candidate in the District boardroom. These interviews will be open to public observation, but there will not be opportunity for the public to ask questions themselves during this session. Observer feedback on this day will be provided to the Board either in writing or verbally during the open meeting discussion at the end of the day. After the open discussion, the Board will meet in executive session to review and discuss each candidate's qualifications. Below is the schedule for August 10:- 10:00am-11:00am Christopher Granger
- 11:15am-12:15pm Christopher Nesmith
- 12:15pm-1:00pm Lunch Break
- 1:00pm-2:00pm Rodrick Merrell
- 2:15pm-3:15pm Open Meeting Discussion
- 3:30pm-4:30pm Executive Session (Closed Session)
- 4:30pm Schedule Announced for August 12 Interviews (Open Session)
- Interviews with Stakeholder Groups on Monday, August 12
Candidates will return to meet individually with separate stakeholder groups, during which time participants will be able to ask questions of their own. Feedback from participants will be provided to the Board of Directors on a written form for review at the end of the day. Candidates will rotate between groups as described below, including one rotation with the Board in executive session.- Community Group (parents, patrons, students): Interviews will take place at 10:00am, 11:15am, and 12:30pm in the Performing Arts Center.
- Leadership Team Group (BLT): Interviews will take place in the Middle School Library at 10:00am, 11:15am, and 1:45pm, with a one-hour break at 12:30pm.
- District Staff Group: Interviews will take place in the High School Theater at 10:00am, 12:30pm, and 1:45pm with a one-hour break at 11:15am.
- School Board: Interviews will take place, in executive session, at 11:15am, 12:30pm, and 1:45pm in the District boardroom.
At 3:15pm, the Board will go into executive session to review feedback and to consider selection of a candidate for the position of superintendent. The executive session is anticipated to last one hour but may be extended if the Board needs additional time for discussion. If needed, the Board may recess sometime after 5:00pm and resume executive session discussion at 3:30pm on Wednesday, August 14.
Click on this link to view the public notice regarding this Board activity: https://5il.co/99i6
Questions may be directed to the Administrative Assistant, Tina Padilla, at 360-332-5881 or tpadilla@blainesd.org.