School Board Hopes to Find New Superintendent by June

And then, there were six.

The Twinsburg Board of Education announced the finalists for its superintendent search Wednesday night.

The board has trimmed the list of candidates from 36 down to six after the application process closed on April 22.

The superintendent position was left open after Superintendent schools.

The candidates include:

• Kate Foley, the director of student services for the.
• James Kalis, the superintendent of the Riverside Local School District.
• Mark North, the superintendent of the Lebanon City School District.
• Kathryn Powers, the human resources director of the.
• Blair Andrew Riggle, the assistant superintendent of the Hilliard City School District.
• Philip Wagner, the assistant superintendent at the.

Board President Ron Stuver said they narrowed the list down to 12 in the last week, and then did some research of their own to find the six finalists.

“We Googled these people,” Stuver said. “We looked up what information we could find on the Internet. All of the board members did their homework.”

The candidates will be interviewed on Tuesday, May 10, and Wednesday, May 11. After that, two to three finalists will be chosen for a second interview. The board said Wednesday night they hope to have the position filled by the end of May.

“We’re looking for someone of good moral character and high standards,” Stuver said. “Someone with some districtwide experience and will hit the ground running.”

Stuver was glad that he had a large and talented pool to choose from and he feels the six finalists have the necessary experience to get the job done.

“They all have districtwide experience as administrators,” Stuver said. “We didn’t want to bring someone in that we would have to train on the job.”

One of the issues that could factor in to the final decision is the . Stuver said the board wants a person who is aware of those challenges and can make the right decisions.

“They need to be able to effect change in the district while recognizing the financial impact,” Stuver said.

While finances are one of the top priorities, finding a person who makes the best decisions for the students is a major factor as well, Stuver said.

Whoever the last person standing is, the road ahead may not be easy as they take over after Marlow.

“They have big shoes to fill,” board member Stephen Shebeck said.