Trustees have a crucial decision this week regarding the school district’s future in narrowing down the field for superintendent.
First and foremost, the school board meets Thursday to reduce the number of candidates seeking the district’s top job from five to three. Based on what we have read about the candidates seeking the job left open by Carolyn Ross’ resignation last summer, the school board must be serious in how it selects candidates The way we see it, this is not a job for someone who does not have district office experience.
We can’t express in an other words that the new person, whoever the board selects, must take charge immediately without training wheels.
Three solid candidates have emerged with district office experience. In a previous editorial, we also stated the new superintendent must be savvy with the quirks of local and Nevada politics when it comes to dealing with education. While the school board has repeatedly said it wants to hire the best person for the job, we need to point out the “best person” for the last three out of four openings came from out of state, and the previous two superintendents divided the board and the community.
The board must look for a uniter — a person who will visit the schools and educators, a person who knows his or her employees by name and one who shows personal understanding of what needs to be done in this district.
One thing, though, has struck us as odd. When trustees narrowed down the field to the top five, several board members strongly expressed that the next superintendent must have district office experience, hence their reason for eliminating the only local candidate; ironically, though, they selected a person who has Fallon ties, but the bulk of her administrative experience came as a middle school principal in Hawthorne and a principal in Gerlach, hardly the stops that develop a person for the superintendency. For the past three years, this person has been out of education.
We also look for commitment in this job, someone who will be here more than 3-4 years; our school board, therefore, must look closer at any candidates who made whistle stops at their previous jobs and spent a short time there before moving on.
The board has no easy task, but we trust the men and women who decide on the final candidates will review the five men and women and choose wisely on Thursday.
The remaining three will come to Fallon next week to meet with community members and check out Churchill County and what it has to offer and what they have to give; additionally, they will also discuss their philosophies with the three associations representing the building administrators, the teachers and classified employees.
Coincidentally, trustees selected a new superintendent 10 years ago who had limited district office experience. His resume looked good, and he talked a good game, but within two years, the honeymoon ended, and he was asked to leave.
This is one time we don’t want to see history repeat itself.
Editorials are written by the LVN Editorial Board and appear on Wednesdays.