Selah School Interviews for Superintendent Spot

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Story Published: Jun 23, 2009 at 11:34 PM PST

By Stacy Lilienthal

Now they're down to two. The Selah School District interviewed its final two candidates for the interim superintendent position.

Dr. Rick Pass or Dr. Steve Chestnut up fort he job. One of those two men will soon get the nod. "We want to make sure that we find someone who can come right into the chair and we won't loose any ground," says School Board President, Todd Trepanier.

Both men have worked in school districts for more than 15 years. Dr. Pass comes from the Knappa School District in Astoria, Oregon and says he will apply for the permanent superintendent spot in the fall if he's picked. Dr. Chestnut just retired from the Moses Lake School District and only has a year to give. "They have a reputation for having very good people skills, being team builders, bridge builders;" says NW Leadership Associates Owner and President, Dennis Ray. "And those were then skills the board was looking for."

Another question the board made sure to ask centered on how well they can rebuilt a community's trust. That's something parents say the board is starting to do by including the community in interviews. "I think it just shows that they do care. That they do care about how the community feels and that they are trying," says Lynda Ward.

You may remember the crowded meetings and petitions earlier this year when the community came together in support of High School Principal Joe Jones. Jones turned in a resignation after a discussion with the superintendent. Later, the High School seniors posted a sign asking the superintendent not to come to their graduation. Principal Jones came back and it was Superintendent, Deborah Howard who then resigned.

"I'm a little surprised. I figured there would be more students here today," says Senior Ethan Ward. As active as the community has been in recent meetings, the room looked pretty empty. But that didn't stop some from making sure one of these candidates is right for the district.

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