JOYCE — Four finalists for superintendent at Crescent School District will be in Joyce this week for interviews, tour school facilities and to meet members of the public.
The finalists were selected from a field of 12 applications, said Board Chair Tracey Grover.
Edwina Hargrave, currently program administrator at Stevenson-Carson School District in Stevenson, will visit the school district today.
Martin Schmidt, former superintendent of the Gorman School District, the smallest school district in Los Angeles area, will visit the district Tuesday.
Jack Dalton, currently assistant principal of Grandview Middle School in Grandview, will visit the district Wednesday.
Clayton Mork, currently a graduate instructor at Western Washington University and former assistant superintendent at Bainbridge School District, will visit Thursday.
The applicants will tour the schools with retiring Superintendent Tom Anderson and have dinner with the school board.
The board will hold daily board executive sessions at 5 p.m. to discuss each finalist and public forums in the Crescent School library at 7 p.m. for the community to meet the finalists. Another executive session will follow at 7:45 p.m..
“It will be a long day for them,” Grover said.
The board will hold a final executive session Thursday at 8 p.m. to consider the applicants.
At the end of the session, the board may select a superintendent or schedule a special meeting at a later date.
The district is not bound to select a superintendent from this particular field of candidates and can hire an interim superintendent if necessary, Grover said.
“We are not going to pick someone who is not right for our school,” she said.
Current Superintendent Anderson announced his retirement in March — six years after accepting what was expected to be a short-term interim position after Superintendent Doug Kubalek suffered a stroke in August 2006.
Anderson, then retired from another school district, agreed to become a temporary acting superintendent and principal of Crescent High School.
Kubalek died about a week and a half later, and Anderson agreed to stay on for the remainder of the year.
Anderson remained for 51/2 years before deciding to return to retirement.
The district is currently in good financial shape because of a four-year property tax levy voters approved in February, increasing enrollment, an excellent teaching staff and an improved community opinion of the district, Anderson said in March.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
