By Brenda Sexton The Courier-Herald
It took 90 minutes of sorting, random selection and discussion, but the Enumclaw School Board sat down Jan. 24 and came up with an advisory panel of staff, parents and community members that will help guide the district's superintendent selection process.
The advisory panel will sit in as the board interviews its seven semifinalist candidates behind closed doors yesterday and today at the district board room. The board came away with seven candidates during an executive session at that same Jan. 24 meeting.
According to Northwest Leadership Associates consultant Dennis Ray, who is directing the district's search, most school boards he has worked with select an advisory panel with positive results. He said even the most skeptical of panel members find that they do play a viable role in the selection process.
According to Ray, the panel will sit in on preliminary interviews, provide feedback on candidates, register concerns they might have and ask questions about the candidates. That feedback will come in the form of a brief oral discussion and a written assessment, Ray said.
The panel will also be encouraged to attend events with the finalists return to Enumclaw.
Selecting those who would be part of the process was the board's first challenge on the 24th.
The district's principals, teachers' and classified employees' unions, along with the district office, district cabinet, Fraternal Order of Retired Teachers, Plateau Ministerial Association, Black Diamond and Enumclaw business communities and each school were allowed to select their own representative for the advisory panel. Two schools, Enumclaw Middle School and Enumclaw High School, did not choose a representative.
The remaining slots were drawn through a random, blind selection process.
The final two advisory panel members were personal selections. Board members Lorianne Taff and Nancy Merrill thought each board member would also get to make their own additional pick from among the names not selected.
Taff, for example, said 17 of those chosen did not work for the school district and two were from Black Diamond. She didn't think that was fair.
The board decided each member could select one representative. However Board President Dale Holland and members Cathy Dahlquist and Chris VanHoof declined to make a choice.
Merrill selected Charlie Sansone and Taff picked Raeann Webb.
The two additional selections brought the total number of panel members to 30. (See complete list of panel members in box at right.)
In other board business, the board:
€ set the schedule for its final candidates' visits and interviews. The agenda for the three days accompanies this story.
€ approved a stipend of $2,000 per month for Interim Superintendent Mike Nelson over and above what he's currently being paid to accommodate the additional work. The decision occurred at its regular meeting Jan. 22. Originally, Nelson wanted to split the stipend between district cabinet members, who will be picking up his additional duties as assistant superintendent while he fills the head position on an interim basis. But, Holland said the district's attorney determined divvying up the stipend between others would be problematic.
The agreement will cover the time from Jan. 13 through June 30 when the district plans the contract for a permanent superintendent will begin. Any partial months will be prorated.
As a housekeeping issue, the board also gave Nelson the authorization to submit applications for federal funds or programs.
