PORT ANGELES — The School Board will pick either Jane Pryne of Tucson, Ariz., or Ray Terry of Beaver, Utah as the Port Angeles School District’s new superintendent.
The public can meet and ask questions of the two finalists for superintendent during evening public forums on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Earlier each day, members of the public can attend as the School Board conducts its final interviews with the candidates.
The board expects to hire a new superintendent by May 22. The present superintendent, Gary Cohn, will begin work as the top administrator of the Everett School District on July 1.
Next week, Terry will be featured on Tuesday, Pyrne on Wednesday.
Each day, the School Board interview will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Central Service Building board room at 214 E. Fourth St.
Each day’s public forum will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Services and Community Center at 328 E. Seventh St.
The School Board chose the two finalists after interviewing five semifinalists Thursday.
One semifinalist, Steve Rowley of Las Gatos, Calif., withdrew prior to the interviews.
Other semifinalists were local and from Washington state — Michelle Reid, assistant superintendent in Port Angeles; Warren Hopkins, deputy superintendent of Arlington School District; and Rich Stewart, Dayton School District superintendent.
The new superintendent will be expected to report for duty on July 1.
During their visits, the candidates will meet with various staff groups during the day.
Terry is now the superintendent of Beaver County School District, located in central Utah.
He previously held principal positions at North Sevier High School and Salina Elementary School, both in Salina, Utah.
Terry earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2005. He was awarded a master’s degree in special education from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1992, and a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from Utah State University in Logan in 1976.
Pryne, associate professor at Northern Arizona University, is the former superintendent of Marana Unified School District and Continental School District, both south of Tucson.
She received a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arizona in Tucson in May 2002, earned a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis on learning disabilities in August 1981, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in May 1977.
Board President Steve Baxter asked for comment from members of the public.
“We want the selection process to be as open and transparent as possible,” he said in a statement.
“We are interested in continued input from the staff, parents and other stakeholders of the school district.
“We encourage interested citizens to come observe the interviews and meet the candidates in person at the evening public forums.”
Wayne Robertson and John Bohrnsen from Principled Leadership Consulting have guided the school board in its search for a new superintendent.
