School board to review superintendent candidates

Applications to be the next Blaine school district superintendent are coming in, and the district scheduled a special board meeting to review applications on Monday, July 22 at the district administrative office at 765 H Street.

The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. with a three-hour executive session, which is not open to the public.

Tina Padilla, assistant to the superintendent, said the district expects to have about eight qualified applicants. Its hiring consultant, Rich Parker, will vet the pool of candidates before the board reviews their qualifications.

After the three-hour closed session, the board will hold an open meeting to take action on the applicants, according to a July 3 press release from the school district.

Padilla said the board would likely select five finalists for the next round of interviews, on Saturday, August 10. The board could also decide not to pursue any of the applicants and hire an interim superintendent.

The August 10 meeting would be open to the public and each candidate would be interviewed for an hour, Padilla said.

The school board defined its priorities for its next superintendent at a May 29 special board meeting. The school board is looking for candidates who can creatively support teaching and learning, are child oriented, can work collaboratively, live in the district and are “fiscally minded,” according to the criteria.