PORT ANGELES — Two finalists for schools superintendent have been selected by the School Board and will attend public meetings this week.
The finalists — both currently superintendents elsewhere — are Rick Thompson of Friday Harbor and Marc Jackson of the Southern California Mojave Desert town of Yermo.
Thompson and Jackson were selected from a field of 36 applicants.
The board held preliminary interviews with semifinalists last week and determined the final two.
Directors are using professional consultants Steve Rasmussen and Jim Shoemaker of Ray and Associates Inc. to assist.
Thompson and Jackson will meet separately with the School Board, district staff and community members on separate days this week.
Thompson has been superintendent of the San Juan Island School District, with district offices in Friday Harbor, since 2010.
Before then, he was superintendent and curriculum director, separate positions, in the Lynden School District, and a middle school principal in the Cle Elum-Roslyn School District, all in Washington state.
He holds a Master of Educational Administration and bachelor’s degrees in English and social studies from Western Washington University.
San Juan Island School District has about 850 students in one high school, one middle school, two elementary schools and a K-12 school.
Thompson will be in Port Angeles on Monday for his interviews and meetings.
The formal interview will be held during a School Board open session from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday at the Central Services Building, 216 E. Fourth St.
A staff and community meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Monday in the Port Angeles High School library, 304 E. Park Ave.
A community meeting with Thompson will begin at 6 p.m. Monday in the Jefferson Elementary School gymnasium, 218 E. 12th St.
Jackson is superintendent of Silver Valley Unified School District, with district offices located in Yermo, Calif., near Barstow and north of San Bernardino.
He served as assistant superintendent of schools and personnel in the Oxnard, Calif., School District and has been principal at two high schools and a middle school in California.
Jackson holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of La Verne in California, a Master in Education from California State University Fullerton, and a bachelor’s degree in history from La Verne College.
Silver Valley is home to Fort Irwin, a U.S. Army training base, and children of military members assigned to the base attend the district’s schools.
It has an enrollment of about 3,000 students, including a high school, an alternative school, a middle school and four elementary/intermediate schools.
Jackson will be in Port Angeles on Tuesday for an identical schedule of board interviews and staff and community meetings.
The formal interview will be held during a School Board open session from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Central Services Building.
A staff and community meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Port Angeles High School library, followed by the community meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Jefferson gymnasium.
The board is scheduled to meet in executive session immediately after the final Tuesday meeting, then will open the meeting to the public at 8 p.m.
It is not known at this time what actions may be taken during the 8 p.m. open session.
The board is expected to make a final selection at 7 p.m. Thursday during its regular meeting at Lincoln High School, 924 W. Ninth St.
Current Superintendent Jane Pryne is retiring on June 30 after five years in Port Angeles.
Once the new superintendent is hired, he is expected to take part in the selection of a deputy superintendent.
In June 2013, former Deputy Associate Superintendent Michelle Reid departed to become superintendent of the South Kitsap School District.
Mary Ann Unger, a retired district administrator, has served as interim deputy associate superintendent since July 2013.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
